


Boku no Dangan Academia

by Louise_McBear



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Bakusquad, Canon-Typical Violence, Content warnings at bottom of chapters, Danganronpa AU, M/M, Mineta unfortunately still exists, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Violence in future chapters, killing game, potential ships to be added, slowburn todoiideku
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-05-24 04:09:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14947304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Louise_McBear/pseuds/Louise_McBear
Summary: Hope's Peak Academy is a school renowned for educating the best of the best and ensuring they have futures that others could only dream of. They say if you go to this school, you are set for life.Enter Midoriya Izuku, the Ultimate Lucky Student and a killing game that plans to bring Ultimate Despair.(My Hero Academia x Danganronpa crossover. Updates should hopefully be on Mondays and tags will be adjusted as chapters are added.)





	1. Welcome to Hope's Peak

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work on here, so if I get something wrong, feel free to correct me. New chapters will be added every Monday until I run out of pre-written chapters, which should currently last about 9 weeks. After that, chapters may be more sporatic, but I'll figure that out nearer the time.  
> Currently the fic is rated mature, but, since I'm not entirely familiar with the ratings, if people think it should go down, I may lower it.  
> That's it! Enjoy the chapter!

I’ve always admired Hope’s Peak Academy. A school where the best of the best go to enhance their skills and are raised to change the world. It is said that if you go to Hope’s Peak, you are set for life. An academy of Ultimates and my biggest dream was to one day join them. Of course, that doesn’t really work when you aren’t the best at what you do, so my chances of getting in were pretty slim.

People told me I’d be the luckiest guy in the world if I managed to get in.

Boy, they were more correct than they thought.

The first day of term at Hope’s Peak is well-known throughout the country. Forums talk about the newest students, news reporters try to get as much info as they can and the public watch clips of everything happening. I normally watch as well, though I definitely wasn’t expecting to be walking in myself this year, clutching an invitation.

I suppose I should introduce myself. I’m Midoriya Izuku and I’m the Ultimate Lucky Student.

It’s definitely a new talent. The school did a nation-wide lottery, where a Japanese student would be chosen and informed they had ultimate luck. I guess weird things happen which help me at times, but I wouldn't have said I was particularly lucky. In fact, I was tempted to decline, since I don't have a proper talent. But, it has always been my dream and Mum kinda had a go at me when I suggested it.

As I walk up to the front doors, I can sense something changing in the atmosphere. It feels more elite. Like the world is changing and, from here, we will be able to see it all. I can still hardly believe it. The best students in the country and I’m about to join them.

However, stepping through those doors, something changes again. The school in front of me is getting more blurry and the thousands of thoughts in my head are becoming increasingly more tangled.

I think… I need to… have a sit down… for a second…

Then, I black out.

… ….. …. .. ……….

When I finally come to, my surroundings are a lot different. I’m in a hallway, yes, but it’s definitely not the same one I initially blacked out in. Maybe someone saw me and moved me out of the way?

But looking around, I can’t see anyone. The corridor is completely barren, to the point of being slightly eerie. You’d think the school would be full of students by now, wouldn’t it?

Wait, what time is it?

When I look at my watch, I can’t help but yelp out in surprise. The entrance ceremony was supposed to have started 5 minutes ago! Is that why there’s no one else here? 

Either way, I really need to get going. Grabbing the letter next to me, I start running to find the hall. In a school as big as this, it’s definitely a challenge. Especially as it turns out, as I have to run down stairs, that someone put me out of the way, on the first floor. Luckily, I manage to find my way back to the corridor I was initially in and figure out where the entrance to the hall is. (Although the fact the school’s doors are completely sealed informs me that I’m definitely late.)

I run to the entrance to the hall and almost crash into the large group of people as I get there. Thank goodness the ceremony hasn’t started yet. Does that mean I’m not really late?

Unfortunately, a student with dark hair seems to think otherwise. “You there, with the green hair! Don’t you know that you were supposed to be here exactly 9 minutes ago?!”

“Sorry!” I say, feeling slightly awkward. “I blacked out as I was coming in and for some reason woke up on the first floor. It took a while to figure out how to get here.”

A brown-haired girl then turns to the guy and says, “See, Iida? He’s in exactly the same situation as us! We can’t blame him if he woke up in such a random place. The only reason you got here so early was because you woke up right by the entrance!”

I’m confused by this. “Wait, so other people blacked out as well?”

The girl looks back at me and smiles. “We all did. The moment we stepped into the school, everyone got light-headed and woke up in different parts of the school. But, now that you’re here, this must be the whole class!”

A girl with a ponytail looks surprised at this statement and asks, “Why do you think that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? 16 students seems like a good number for a class!”

Everyone looks like they want to argue against this statement, but can’t really find a reason to.

The ponytail girl shakes her head and instead says, “Well, why don’t we all introduce ourselves? Our method so far has been a bit haphazard, so doing so as a group would probably be a lot easier.”

Then a familiar voice yells out, “Fine, but I’m going to go first, since you’re all just extras!”

I turn my head. “Kacchan! You’re here too!”

Kacchan rolls his eyes at the statement. “Of course I am, idiot. I’m the ultimate Pyrotechnician. But why the hell are you here, Deku? You aren’t good at anything.”  
Flashbacks to when we were younger begin. I’ve been in the same class as Kacchan for most of our lives and he never let anyone forget that he was going to be the one to go to Hope’s Peak. With his knack of making fires and explosives, no one doubted him for a second, least of all the teachers. Of course, that only seemed to fuel his ego and encourage him to pick on me more. 

I try to smile at him. “I’m the Ultimate Lucky Student!”

He stares for a second, then starts laughing. “You’re kidding me, right? That’s not a talent. You’ve never been lucky in your entire life. Are you sure they didn’t mean the Ultimate Unlucky Student?”

“Hey, that’s not nice! Knock it off,” scolds the nice girl from before. She then smiles at me again. “Oh yeah, I’m Uraraka Ochako, the Ultimate Builder. Nice to meet ’cha, Deku!”

“Yeah, my name isn’t actually Deku. That’s just the nickname Kacchan gives me. My name’s actually Midoriya Izuku.”

The girl frowns at this information. “Really? Alright then, nice to meet ‘cha, Midoriya!”

The class then looks at the guy who originally told me off. 

“Greetings, Class 1-A! My name is Iida Tenya and I’m the Ultimate Moral Compass. I hope we can all get along and follow the rules.” An ultimate talent like that was expected. I think I read on the forums before that he’s been President of all of his classes from the moment the position began. So, if such a position is available here, it’s highly likely that he’ll take it.

Next is the girl with the ponytail. “Hi, I’m Yaoyorozu Momo, the Ultimate Magician.”

The guy next to her gets really excited by this idea. “Really, what kind of tricks can you do?”

Yaoyorozu looks like she was expecting this question, as she’s somehow able to pull a pencil from her arm. I have no idea how she does it and, from the expressions of the other students, it looks like they don’t know either.

The guy from before starts grinning like a child on Christmas and goes, “That was so cool! Again! Again!”

Then, a girl with shorter dark hair lightly hits him on the arm. “Stop it Denki, that’s rude! Anyway, I’m Jiro Kyoka, the Ultimate Programmer and that’s Kaminari Denki, the Ultimate Gamer. I apologise in advance for him.”

Kaminari starts pouting. “Kyoka, that’s rude!”

From this interaction it seems clear that those two already know each other. As if understanding the unspoken question, Jiro clarifies, “We’ve been friends for as long as we can remember. Whenever I make a new program, he tends to be the one to test it out for me.”

The focus then moves onto a guy with bright red hair. “Hey, I’m Kirishima Eijiro and I’m the Ultimate Team Manager! I organise sports teams and keep them happy.”

A guy with purple hair says, “Hello, I’m Minoru Mineta, Ultimate Baseball Star. I hope we can all… get acquainted with each other.” For some reason, I don’t like the tone he uses and from the uncomfortable expressions around us, neither does anyone else.

The next two girls introduce themselves quickly, edging away from Minoru. The bright pink girl introduces herself as Ashido Mina, the Ultimate Scientist, while the girl in green says she’s Asui Tsuyu, the Ultimate Swimmer.

The next guy looks like he was practically sparkling as he prepared to speak. “Aoyama Yuga, the Ultimate Fashionista, at your service. If anyone needs a makeover, I’d be happy to help. Speaking of which…” He looks at the boy covered in animals next to him, who laughs slightly.

“I’m fine thanks. The animals are very picky about the type of clothing they can sit on. I’m Ojiro Mashirao, the Ultimate Animal Breeder. And this is the gang,” he says, gesturing to the small birds sitting on his head and shoulders.

“They seem very calm,” a guy with dark, spikey hair comments. “I’m Tokoyami Fumikage, the Ultimate Flier. It’s a bit of a difficult talent to practise in a school though.”

“Have you tried prosthetic wings? I’ve got materials that could be useful,” suggests a guy with similar hair, albeit slightly calmer. “The name’s Sero Hanta and I’m the Ultimate First Aider. So if you ever get hurt, I’m happy to help!” At the wings suggestion, Tokoyami seems to be nodding slowly, considering it.

There’s one person left, with heterochromic eyes and white-red hair. He looks up, almost in surprise at the attention. “Uh, I’m Todoroki Shoto. I’m… the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.”

I recognise the name Todoroki. His family own a huge financial conglomerate called the Endeavour Cooperation. Through it, they pretty much control the whole of Japan. Though, he seems slightly uncomfortable with his talent.

As if the school was waiting for us to finish our introductions, the door to the hall suddenly opens, allowing us to enter. 

And so begins our new school life here at Hope’s Peak.


	2. Welcome to Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the class have met each other, it's time for them to meet the headmaster.
> 
> (Warnings will be in the Notes at the end of the chapter, so people can see them if they need to, but won't have the contents spoiled for them otherwise.)

When we first go in, the hall seems completely empty. Aren’t entrance ceremonies normally supposed to involve lots of teachers? I know Hope’s Peak isn’t a normal school, but you’d think it would have some similarities.

It’s only when we’re all inside the hall that something seems… off. The doors swing shut behind us and, while there’s no sound of a lock, I get the impression that we aren’t supposed to leave until we’re told we can. 

I look around us. Despite the hall seeming unusually clean, it looks like an average sports hall. You’d think the best school in the country would have something more… elite? But, maybe that’s just me having unrealistic expectations.

“Excuse me! May I have everyone’s attention please?” A voice comes from behind me. I thought it would be the head teacher, but as I turn around, there seems to be a bear behind a microphone.

A polar bear?

Kaminari seems to be the first to speak. “Woah, a talking bear? That’s so cool! What are you, robotic or something?”

The bear seems disgruntled by that. “I’ll have you know, I’m your Headmaster. My name is Nezu and- Would you get off of me?!”

Whatever Nezu was planning on saying next is interrupted by Uraraka and Jiro examining his paws. If he is robotic, they’re probably trying to find out more information.

“Hmm, the material is very light, which explains the fluidity of its movements. Though how the inventor was able to find material light enough to use and strong enough to be stable, I have no idea.” Jiro says critically, moving the paw up and down slowly.

“Wow, the fur is so soft! I’ve never worked with fabric this soft before, even when we had to make handmade baby clothes for my cousins.” Uraraka exclaims. She’s only stroking the fur on the other paw repeatedly.

“I said, get off of me! Children these days are so rude. You don’t just go around playing with people’s paws. It’s common decency!” At this, the girls reluctantly step away, Uraraka looking somewhat ashamed of herself, while Jiro just looks annoyed. I have a feeling she may try to find out more at another time.

Nezu cleared his throat (somehow), before beginning again. “Right, where were we? Ah, yes. Welcome to Hope’s Peak Academy. From this day forward, this school is your entire life!”

That’s weird. I know the school’s important, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say it should be our entire life. Kacchan seems to feel the same, though he expresses it in his own way.

“What the hell do you mean, our entire life? In three years, we’ll be rid of this dump and move on with our lives, same as any past students.”

For some reason, Nezu begins to frown. “Ah, there seems to have been some miscommunication here. You won’t be leaving in three years. When I said this school is your entire life, I meant it. From this day onwards, you will remain here until the day you die.”

…

WHAT?

“You’re kidding, right? That’s not a thing!” Kirishima says disbelievingly. “No one else has lived here their whole lives. Why should we?”

“It’s a new process.” Nezu explains, shifting slightly. “Though there is one way of being able to leave. We call it the Graduation Clause. If you successfully graduate from Hope’s Peak, you will be able to go home and never return.”

Aoyama sighs in relief. “Thank goodness! So, how to we graduate?”

“That’s where things get interesting. You see, the process you need to follow to graduate is simple. In order for life in this school to run smoothly, peace must be maintained. If someone were to ruin that peace, they would naturally have to leave. So, all you have to do is kill one of your classmates and get away with it!”

Again, WHAT?

Iida’s the first to speak up this time. “How could you say such a thing?! We would never kill anyone, let allow our fellow classmates!”

“Then you’d better get used to living here,” Nezu smiles. “Because from this moment, your killing school life has begun.”

No one else has anything to say, so Nezu just turns to leave. “I’ll summon you all later for your first temptation. For now, though, I’d recommend settling in and getting to know each other. Of course, you may not have the chance to know certain people for very long…”

With that, he’s gone and a heavy silence has fallen over the room. The people we’ve only just begun to know are apparently now potential murderers or potential victims. It’s clear that we aren’t supposed to trust each other and some people are definitely taking that to heart.

Tearing the silence apart, Kacchan storms up to the microphone Nezu was previously using and yells into it, “LET’S GET ONE THING STRAIGHT HERE! ANY OF YOU SICKOS ALREADY PLANNING TO KILL SOMEONE, JUST BE AWARE THAT I’M SUPERIOR TO ALL OF YOU. SO DON’T YOU DARE TRY ANYTHING AGAINST ME, BECAUSE I WILL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!”

“Well, if he hadn’t made himself a clear potential victim before, he definitely has now.” Todoroki murmurs next to me, almost making me cry out in surprise in the process. How is he able to move that quietly?!

I rub the back of my neck and chuckle. “Well, Kacchan isn’t exactly known for making friends. If there’s ever an opportunity for him to remind everyone he’s above them, he’s going to take it.”

“You seem to know him well. How long have you been friends?” Todoroki asks curiously.

I start coughing in surprise at this question. “Whatever relationship I have with Kacchan, I think I’d compare it more to a concerned classmate than a friend. He’s never exactly had a positive attitude towards me.”

Todoroki raises an eyebrow. “Is that so? Forgive me then for assuming. The familiar tone you two used, combined with the use of the nicknames brought me to the conclusion your relationship was similar to that of Jiro and Kaminari.”

I laugh. I think their relationship would be the exact opposite of ours. But, before I can say anymore I’m suddenly being dragged away by Uraraka. I manage a wave goodbye at Todoroki before I have to turn in the direction I’m being pulled, for fear of falling over.

When we finally stop, it seems Uraraka’s brought me to Iida. “Guys, we should all see what our rooms look like. You two seem trustworthy enough, so I should be safe in a group like this!”

Iida seems concerned. “Uraraka, are you really that worried about this whole killing idea? It seems preposterous and highly immoral to me that one of us would kill someone, especially if that person is in the same class as us.”

Rather than answering the question, Uraraka exclaims, “Please, call me Ochako! If we want to survive in this place, we’ll have to work together and trust each other. What better way to begin doing that than by referring to each other by our first names?”

Iida nods in agreement with this. “Very well. You may refer to me as Tenya if you wish.”

“Ooh, Midoriya, can I call you Deku like Bakugo does?!”

I feel uncomfortable about that. “That’s probably not a good idea. Kacchan normally calls me Deku as a way of calling me an idiot.”

Both of the students in front of me frown at this.

“That’s not very nice,” Ochako says thoughtfully. Then her eyes brighten again. “Aha! So it’s a name you have negative thoughts about, right? Why don’t you retake the name and make it positive. If you let me use it, I can use it as a way to seeing you as a friend. Then, you’ll feel happier about it.”

I can see her point. Plus, Ochako looks like she finds the idea of a nickname very exciting, so I might as well give in now. “Fine. Use it if you want.”

“Yay! Now, let’s go and find the rooms!” She starts skipping away quickly, leaving us to follow after quickly.

It takes a while to figure out where the rooms are, especially since half turn out to be on the ground floor while the others are on the first floor. It seems that Tenya’s room is downstairs, while mine and Ochako’s are upstairs. From looking at all of our rooms, we come to the conclusion that they are all nearly identical, apart from the fact the rooms downstairs haven’t got locks on the huge wardrobes, while the ones upstairs do.

“Actually, that’s not quite right,” a voice from a monitor in the corner of my room states. We all seem very confused by it until the screen shows a visual of Nezu, presumably sitting in his office. 

“What do you mean ‘not quite right’?” Ochako asks.

“Well, you were correct in the finding that only some of the wardrobes lock. However, it is only the girls’ wardrobes that lock. Don’t ask me why; this was already in place when I took over.”

“Why is mine locked then? I can’t open it at all!” I ask.

“Ah, that’s because you ended up with the one with the faulty door; it’s not locked, just broken. In order to open it, you have to lift the handle up slightly before pulling it.”

Geez, despite being the Ultimate Lucky Student, I sure don’t get much out of it. 

As Nezu’s giving the explanation, Tenya goes over to the wardrobe to make sure what he’s saying is correct. When the door clicks open, it seems clear to all of us that it is.

Nezu smiles and it suddenly becomes clear to me that there must be a camera somewhere in the room. That’s a slightly unnerving thought.

“Okay, that’s all I wanted to say! You have an hour of free time before I would like us all to reconvene at the computer lab. There’s something there you’ll need to see.”

As Tenya gives his farewells and promises that we’ll be there on the dot, a shiver goes through me at the idea of whatever we’ll be shown in the computer lab. After the reveal about the killing game, I’m not sure it’s going to be anything good. 

“If we only have one hour, I’m afraid that I must leave you two for now,” Tenya says apologetically. “It’s vital that we create as many relations with our fellow classmates as we can, if we are to stay here permanently, and the best place for me to start with that is to find out who else is downstairs.”

“That’s cool!” Ochako replies, “We’ll just be hanging out here if you want to come back later, right Deku?”

I’m momentarily surprised by the fact Ochako seems to have invited herself into my room for the hour, but it makes sense. There’s not really anywhere else we need to go yet. “Uh, yeah, sure! Have fun talking to the others!”

Tenya gives one last smile before leaving the room and shutting the door, leaving us to try and figure out what to do for the rest of the hour. 

“So, uh, Ultimate Builder, huh? That sounds pretty cool.” I comment.

Ochako laughs slightly at this. “My whole family works in the building industry, so my earliest memories were of half-finished houses and worn-out workers.” Suddenly her eyes widen at what she’s saying and adds hastily, “Not that I was forced into building! Quite the opposite actually. Dad always wanted me to do anything but build houses. I kinda came to a compromise with this by expanding to building other things as well.”

She closes her eyes and gently smiles. “I just want to be able to build things that people will get excited by, ‘cus if people are willing to pay more for my buildings, they might be more willing to pay more for my family’s buildings as well. If it gets to the point where my family can live comfortably, rather than continuing to struggle with making ends meet, I’ll know I’ve done my job properly. Anything else would be a bonus.”

I remember seeing people talking about her abilities on the forums before we came to school. From seeing the pictures, it looks like more than just “houses and other things”. There were even some rumours that Hope’s Peak only wanted Ochako to study with them so she could eventually help with building a second Hope’s Peak Academy overseas. 

Ochako then opens her eyes again and stares at me. “But enough about me! Do you have any other family?”

“It’s always just been me and my mum at home. Dad left when I was too young to remember him and Mum’s never had any interest in siblings. Though I know what you mean about families making ends meet, because she had lots of small jobs when I was younger. Luckily, that’s not so much of a problem now,” I explain.

If possible, Ochako’s expression brightens. “Wow, looks like we’ve got lots in common!”

For the rest of the hour, I think I finally get a feel of what it’s like to have a best friend. We talk about anything that comes to mind, from things in our past to hopes for the future. Before we know it, there’s only 10 minutes left and we decide to go and figure out where the Computer Lab is. 

I don’t know what’s going to happen when we get there, and it’s still worrying to think about whatever ‘killing school life’ Nezu has in store for us. But, unfortunately, there’s no way of knowing until we get there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mentions of killing and being trapped, and some light swearing.  
> (Am I doing this right? I saw some people doing this on their fics, so I think I am, but let me know if I'm not.)


	3. To Cooperate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first temptation is revealed and the fight against despair has begun.
> 
> (Content warnings will be in the notes at the bottom, so people can see them if they want and not be spoiled if not.)

By the time we find the computer lab, about half of the class are already there. Tenya has a slightly disappointing look, though this appears to be directed at the fact Kaminari is shouting across the hall to Kirishima, who is in the group walking behind us.

It takes a few minutes for the last few students to arrive, but once everyone’s here, the door of the lab swings open, revealing Nezu standing there. He smiles brightly at us, but that only makes me feel more nervous as we all step inside the dark room, which is only lit up by the light of the computer monitors.

“Welcome to your first persuasion, everyone! Here you will all be assigned a video I want you to watch. I think you’ll find them… quite interesting.” With that, he hands each of us a DVD with our names on and directs us to a computer.

The DVD takes a while to load, but when it does, the first thing I see is my mum in the living room, smiling and waving at the camera.

“Hello, Izuku!” Mum’s voice rings through the headphones. “I’m so proud of you! You’re achieving your dream and hopefully making some friends while you’re at it.”

She thinks for a moment, before adding, “And I don’t know how hard that school will be working you, but I expect lots of letters, okay? There’s no excuse for forgetting your family!”

I smile to myself for a moment, thinking about how that’s exactly the kind of thing I would have expected her to say, before that smile becomes sad. If this school is supposed to be our entire lives, then that means I’ll probably never be able to send a letter to her. We’ve all been cut off from our families and encouraged to betray the few people we are in contact with.

However, I don’t have much time to ponder this before the screen changes its image. My eyes widen at the scene before me. 

What was previously the living room I grew up knowing intricately, is now a dystopian shell of a house. And the brightly coloured sofa, with my Mum sitting in the centre, is now torn to shreds and completely empty. 

The only sound coming through the headphones is broken static, a sound which continued as the scene changed again. This time, though, the only thing on the screen is brightly coloured text on a completely black background.

_“Want to know what happened to your friends and family?  
You’ll find out when you graduate!”_

The air is tense and by the expressions of the other students I can see, everyone else has reached the end of their videos as well. It’s Yaoyorozu who destroys the silence in the end.

“What the hell?” She yells at Nezu. “You can’t just threaten us with the suffering of our loved ones and then demand we kill each other in order to find out the truth. Shit doesn’t work like that!”

Nezu’s smile becomes strained at the profanity, but he continues to remain calm. “I think you’ll find, Miss Yaoyorozu, that I can and I just did.”

No one has any way of responding to this, so Nezu decides to make the next steep by being the first to leave. Just as he reached the exit, he turns quickly and adds, “Oh, and I felt we needed some rules around here to allow this new life to go as smoothly as possible. There are a list of rules in your e-handbooks, which have been left in your rooms. That’s all, so have fun!” He flashes a smile at each of us again and turns, leaving for good. 

In the end, I think everyone felt it best to spend time in our own rooms for a bit. Between the now ever-present possibility that someone might be desperate enough to kill another, and the sorrow everyone feels at the threat of something unspeakable happening to our loved ones, there’s definitely some tension that needs easing throughout the school. 

My mind is still reeling at that video and the fact that if I don’t get out, I may never know what’s happening to the only family I have. Insane plans and ideas of how to get out without taking a life are going through my head, but nothing seems sane enough so far that it could actually work.

I really need to get out of here.

But, is it worth killing someone for? What if the reality of it is terrible? Then everything would be for nothing.

As I continue to think, my ideas are only becoming more fantastical and random, which in turn is only pushing me deeper and deeper into despair. And, unfortunately, I have a feeling everyone else is feeling exactly the same.

I look at the e-handbook on my bed when I enter my room, but there’s not really anything of interest. The rules seem pretty straightforward. Don’t break down locked doors, don’t cause any harm to the headmaster. There’s a rule that says more rules may be added at a later date, but as long as they don’t make things too confusing, I don’t have a particularly strong opinion on this.

There’s not really anything for me to do to pass the time, so it just seems easier to sleep for a bit. I have no idea what the time is, since there’s no way of seeing outside, but it must be at least slightly late, right? The last thought I have is of my Mum, who might be scared or alone. It’s only been a day since I last saw her, but it feels like it’s been much longer.

... .... ..

When I wake up, it’s because of a knocking on my door. It can’t be morning already, can it? 

I open the door to Ochako, tears steaming down her face. It seems easiest to just let her in rather than say anything, and she tries to give a weak smile as she walks past and sits on the end of the bed. 

“Sorry, were you asleep?” she mumbles, looking at the mess that is the bedsheets.

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” I say quickly, trying to reassure her. “Do you want to talk about what’s up?”

She shrugs, before thinking for a moment and beginning to speak. “I think I heard someone wandering around the school and it just freaked me out. The idea that someone could actually try to kill us is really getting to me, y’know? It’s as if my mind is trying to convince me that everyone’s a potential murderer.”

“I can see what you mean. It’s a difficult situation for everyone, but if we can find a way to get through it, we’ll get through it together.”

She accepts this and nods, before continuing. “I know, but Nezu seemed really confident that someone was getting killed. Plus, with the whole thing with the DVDs, and my famil-“  
A strangled sob interrupts her. I’m not entirely sure how friends are supposed to comfort each other, but in this scenario, it seems appropriate to rub her back as she conveys the message she’s trying to get through. 

“What if they are really dead?! I can’t die, Izuku, not while I know something terrible might have happened to them. I need to get out of here!”

“You will get out of here, Ochako. It might take a few days, or a month, but we will get out. You aren’t going to die. I promise.”

She looks up in surprise as I say this. We have no idea what’s really going on here, so it may have been a risk to make such a promise, but I still remain confident. What kind of a friend would I be if I couldn’t protect her? 

“Thanks, Deku. You’re amazing,” she sniffed. “Do you think I could sleep in your room tonight? I’m too scared to go back to mine, especially when everyone’s a feeling like this.”

“Sure, but are you sure about that idea? It might look a bit weird for us to share a room for the night, right?” I ask awkwardly. 

Ochako’s eyes widen as she thinks of the implications. What an idiot I am. She only wanted to feel safe and instead I made things weird.

“What if we switched rooms for the night then? I mean, no offense Deku, I’m not romantically attracted to you at all, but I really don’t want us to make things awkward with everyone else.”

The idea sounds alright. I’m surprised she trusts me enough to switch rooms and keys, but the expression she has seems to imply she has total faith in me, so the least I can do is agree to get idea.

We switch room keys and just as we do, Nezu makes an announcement saying it’s 10pm and officially night time. It’s not as late as I thought it was, but as soon as I’m certain the corridor is empty, I quickly walk to Ochako’s room, which is just across the hall. 

Other than a different colour scheme, her room is pretty much identical to mine, so I waste no time flopping onto the bed and falling asleep again. Despite the fact our conversation was meant to soothe Ochako, I go to sleep feeling a lot more confident in my situation and those around me. I’ve already made two friends and will continue to make more in the days ahead, so at this point a murder seems nearly impossible. Our situation will soon be under control and everything is going to be alright...

I become more conscious as I hear Nezu’s voice loudly proclaiming that it’s 7am and time to rise and shine. If it was any other day, I’d mumble something incoherent and go back to sleep. However, the unusualness of my surroundings and situation keeps me from doing so. Half of me was hoping it was a dream, but at least I have friends to get me through the coming days. 

I quickly knock on my door, but there’s no answer. Maybe Ochako is already having breakfast or accidentally fell back to sleep. Either option seems reasonable, so I shrug and go downstairs to get food.

About half of the class is already eating when I get down there. From Tenya’s cheery demeanour, I assume he succeeded in being the first to arrive. After me, slow waves of people arrive. Kacchan makes his arrival quite obvious by slamming the door open, whereas I never actually see Todoroki arrive (he kind of just appears). Kaminari, Kirishima, Yaoyorozu and Jirou all enter as a group, while Asui, Mineta and Ojiro all enter independently.

Discussion fills the room quickly as people talk about their findings. Everyone seems to have decided to forget about the DVDs, instead recalling discoveries of the unlimited amount of food in the kitchen, the impossibly strong metal covering every window and exit, and the cute, tiny supplies shop filled with stationary and trinkets. If it were any other day, I’d be excited to join in. But today isn’t like any other day.

My uneasiness is constantly rising at the fact that the rest of the class were digging in to their breakfast, while Ochako is still nowhere to be seen.

It’s only when Tenya questions it that I immediately stand up. Everyone’s eyes are drawn to my sudden movements, but all I can do is mumble something about checking on her, before darting out of the room.

Something isn’t right. I may not know everything about Ochako, but I get the feeling oversleeping isn’t the kind of habit she’d pick up, especially considering she’s such an industrial ultimate.

I reach my room again and start banging on the door, this time with urgency. Every part of my brain is screaming for her to just open the door, rub her eyes and apologise for oversleeping. Then we can continue as we were before and everyone can be happy.

Instead I reach for the door handle and find the door unlocked, despite definitely hearing it lock behind me last night.

I try so hard to keep any bad thoughts out of my head, but they’re taking over my mind and multiplying with every moment I spend still uncertain. I don’t even know what’s going on in my head as I yank the door open.

Then, all the uncertain thoughts go away.

And instead, they are replaced by the extremely certain, bad thoughts. The room is a mess – more so than a typical bedroom – but it also seems empty. I collect myself before knocking on the bathroom and checking in there, but it’s completely clean and empty. Looks like no one’s been in there at all.

As I walk out of the bathroom, a particularly bashed up wardrobe catches my eye. Of all the possible parts of the room that can give me answers, it seems the least likely. However, as everywhere else has been checked, it also makes me feel the most terrified. 

I lift the door handle slightly and pull it open, and I suddenly have full view of the contents of the wardrobe. I have full view, that is, before I black out a few seconds later.  
There are few parts of someone’s life that they know they will be unable to forget.

For some, it’s happy days like their wedding or having a child. For others, it might be less happy, like failing an important exam or being humiliated.

I, on the other hand, know I will never be able to forget (no matter how hard I try) the image of Uraraka Ochako, covered in blood, falling out of the wardrobe with a knife through her stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: some swearing, threats to loved ones, minor panic attack, and a major character death.


	4. To Survive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the first murder taking place, it's time to investigate before the Class Trial. But, with everyone's rising suspicions, how easy will that be?
> 
> (Content warnings will be in the notes at the bottom, so that they can be used if necessary.)

While this whole situation has been confusing for me, there is definitely one thing I know when I wake up.

This is not the same room I blacked out in.

The rest of the class are scattered around the hall and, while they’re pretending not to stare, I know everyone is aware I’m awake. When I count the number of students and see we’re one down, my heart sinks. There’s no way it would have been a dream, but I’d wanted to deny reality for a little bit longer.

Uraraka Ochako, our friend and classmate, is gone forever. We’ll never be able to see her smile or try to cheer us up again. I can feel her absence in the air of the room and I’m sure the others can too, judging by the deathly silence.

Tenya is the first to speak up, though it takes a second to realise he’s talking to me.

“How are you feeling, Izuku? It looked like you’d hit your head with some force.”

I lift my hand up to the back of my head, wincing when I feel a sharp pain. I was so caught up with thinking about Ochako, I didn’t even realise I’d hurt myself.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I mumble, more for my own benefit than his. “Why are we here though?”

Tenya looks like he’s not sure how to answer, when Todoroki speaks up.

“When we found out Uraraka had been killed, Nezu told us that we needed to meet down here. After those DVD threats, I don’t think anyone’s planning on disobeying any time soon.”

At the name, I suddenly get angry. “Nezu must have been the one to kill Ochako, right? It can’t have been anyone else!”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to think again, Mr Midoriya,” a voice calls out from the podium. “Because I certainly didn’t kill her. One of you did.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” Kacchan yells, surprising no one. “Why would someone do something stupid like that?”

“I’m afraid only the killer can answer something like that, though it does bring me onto the next part of the Graduation Clause.” Nezu says smiling. “You see, while the killer has done very well with the first part of the clause, they still need to get away with the murder. In order to do this, they will need to get through a class trial, where everyone will have to state their arguments as to who they think committed the murder and then vote for the culprit. If the majority vote correctly, the killer will be punished accordingly. But! If you choose the wrong person, then I’ll punish everyone besides the killer, and allow them to graduate.”

Mineta narrows his eyes suspiciously. “What kind of punishment are we talking about here?”

Nezu’s smile widens, as if he was hoping someone would ask that question. I have a horrible feeling about his answer.

“Well, murder is a serious matter, you know. Naturally, it wouldn’t do for the punishment to be anything less than execution.”

It’s clear what he’s saying hasn’t been lost on anyone. If we don’t find out who the killer is… we all die…

“Anyway, I understand that you are all new to this detective work, so I’ve arranged some basic information about the subject, which will appear on your e-handbooks.”

There’s a beep from the object in our pockets which confirmed this.

“Okay then. Enjoy!”

He disappears and the room falls into silence once more. I look at the other students; everyone seems to be dealing with what we just learnt differently. Some are examining the e-handbook; some are staring into space; some look like they are trying to focus on random objects in the room, while blinking back tears. But whatever people are doing, there’s one thing that’s the same all around.

No one is happy about this situation.

Then suddenly, the people reading their handbooks simultaneously widen their eyes in shock and look at each other, as if to confirm that what they are reading is true. I should probably read it as well, but before I can read my hand into my pocket to get it, they look at me with the same expression.

It looks like they seem shocked and betrayed, though I’m slightly unsure as to why. What have I done?

Yaoyorozu speaks hesitantly. “Midoriya… Is what the handbook’s saying true? Was… was Uraraka really killed in your room?”

I’m surprised at the tone and question, but say, “Yeah. We switched rooms for the night and-“ 

Before I could continue, the implications of that fact dawned on me, combined with why everyone suddenly looks so scared of me.

“Wait! You think I killed Ochako?” I ask, shocked at the idea.

“Can you blame us?” Aoyama asks, almost offended at how baffled I am. “She was killed in your room and she had no reason to be there. I’m guessing you don’t have an alibi and you weren’t aware at the time that this whole class trial and investigation would be happening. The odds aren’t exactly in your favour.”

“But still! Ochako was my friend! What possible reason would I have for killing her?!”

Kaminari seems uneasy with joining in, but says, “We all saw a lot of awful things in those DVDs. For some people, it might be enough to push people over the edge and make them want to do anything to escape.”

Tenya seems to have had enough with the others ganging up on me and walks over to stand next to me. “That’s enough! We can’t go around accusing people of murder without any solid evidence, especially considering how distressed this whole ordeal has made everyone. Instead, I’d advise everyone to use their time wisely, by gathering up as much evidence as to what really happened as possible, before it’s time for the class trial.”

Luckily everyone seems to agree with this.

“In that case, I think we need two people to stand at the scene of the crime and keep watch.” Kirishima suggests. “Otherwise the culprit might try to get rid of any crucial evidence.”

“I’ll do it.” Jiro volunteers.

Tokoyami nods his head in agreement. “As will I.”

And with that, everyone seems satisfied and goes to start their individual investigations. I can see from the uneasy looks people give me that I’m still the number one suspect, but that only makes me more determined to find the culprit. Otherwise, we might all die.

I start walking out of the hall, making a plan as I go, when I get stopped by Todoroki.

“If you don’t mind, would you join me in investigating?” he asks. “I think your input would be particularly valuable.”

I’m surprised at the proposal. “Sure, but why? Don’t you think I’m the murderer too?”

Todoroki shrugs his shoulders at that. “There’s no way to know the truth without investigating. If you are, I’ll be able to find more evidence against you as we go. If not, I think you were close enough to Uraraka that anything you can provide may make or break the case.”

I can see his point. And while I don’t particularly like the idea of him analysing me the whole time, at the moment, I need all the allies I can get.

Todoroki nods, sensing that I’m in agreement with him, before heading towards the stairs. Unsurprisingly our first destination is my room, the room which started it all.

\--------------------------------------------------INVESTIGATION START! ----------------------------------------------------

It’s silent when I first walk through the door, but it was the kind of silence you hear when you know everyone in the room was talking about you beforehand. It’s not very surprising in this case, but while I’m busy thinking about that, Todoroki’s already started investigating by walking over to Ochako.

It takes a bit of mental preparation, but when I’m reading to look at the crime scene, I walk over next to Todoroki, who’s examining one of the wooden doors. It’s off its hinges, and the handle’s come completely off.

“Midoriya, would there have been a reason for you to break the cupboard?” Todoroki asks, not looking away from the object in question.

“I don’t think so,” I reply. “I know the door didn’t fit properly, which made it difficult to open at times, but Nezu already told me, Ochako and Tenya how to open it properly.”

“I see,” he murmurs, presumably analysing everything I said. Despite the fact he’s the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, you could be mistaken in assuming him to the Ultimate Detective. Finally making eye contact with me, I have a feeling he knows exactly what I’m thinking.

“My father was never at home very often, so I had to find ways of entertaining myself,” he confesses, standing up straight. “My preferred method was to play murder mystery games and watch detective shows.”

Huh. I guess that makes sense. Now that I look at it, his style of investigation is reminiscent of popular detectives as well. 

Moving away from that topic, I decide to look at Ochako closer. From the knife in her chest and the lack of blood coming from anywhere else, it looks like she couldn’t have died any other way than to have been stabbed and left to bleed out.

However, there is some blood which is out of place. On the back of the cupboard, Ochako’s slightly obscuring what looks like a code painted in blood.

“02-3… What could that mean?” I mumble to myself. Todoroki seems to have noticed and gently moves Ochako slightly, to see if there’s anything else.

“It looks like the blood trails off there,” he sighs, clearly hoping for more of a clue. Still, a dying message must be important somehow, right?

I’m trying to make sense of the situation and figure out who would do something like this, but at the moment it feels like we’re just flipping through a notebook. The information is there and appears to be quite clearly laid out, but we need to comb through it in more detail to understand it in depth.

It doesn’t seem like there’s anything else here, and I’d rather not look at my deceased friend more than I have to. So, I move away from my previous position and begin walking to the door, only stopping to look at Todoroki when Ochako’s completely out of view.

“I think I’ve seen everything I can for the moment, so I’ll be waiting outside while you finish up here. Then we can move on to the next area,” I explain.

He smiles sadly at me, understanding my reasons. “I have a couple of things I would like to look at first, but I’ll be as quick as I can.”

With that, he goes back to his investigation and I walk out of the room.

I don’t notice until I got outside, but I definitely need the escape from the humid room we’d been investigating in. I guess we’d been so distracted with finding the truth behind Ochako that my mind was ignoring everything else.

The corridor I’m standing in is entirely empty, since everyone’s either in my room or investigating elsewhere. Trying to distract myself for a bit, I look around the walls, hoping to find something to stare at. I success when my eyes land on the sign outside my door, which is supposed to tell everyone that the room belongs to me.

But it doesn’t.

Where I would expect to find my name, I instead find Ochako’s, in addition to her picture as a replacement for mine. It’s confusing. Why would the names have switched? Do they do that automatically when people switch rooms? The screws on the corners haven’t been tightened completely, so maybe Nezu did it?

I sigh in disappointment. The reason we switched in the first place was so no one would know where Ochako was. But it looks like that didn’t work.

I’m awoken from my thoughts as Todoroki comes through the door I was investigating, surprising both of us. He looks confused as to what I was doing, but as I just shrug, he ignores it.

“So, where do you think we should go next?” I ask, ready to continue the investigation.

“The kitchen, I think,” Todoroki responds. “That knife had to come from somewhere and it’s a good place to start looking for it.”

Whatever happened to Uraraka Ochako, I could see we were both determined to find out the truth. But, no one could have predicted what really happened, least of all us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mentioned major character death, execution threats, suspicion and speculation, light swearing, and an implicit mention of Endeavour


	5. To Investigate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the investigation well underway, will Todoroki and Midoriya be able to find anymore important clues? More importantly, will they be able to solve the case?
> 
> (Content warnings will be in the notes at the bottom, so that they can be used if necessary.)

The kitchen is almost completely quiet when we enter. The only sounds being made are from Yaoyorozu and Kirishima muttering to each other in the table at the centre, clearly deeply in thought about something. However, that doesn’t matter to us at the moment. Todoroki completely ignores the two and walks past them to face the counter opposite the door.

“Just as I suspected,” he states, making the others break out of their conversation and look at him. Considering there may be a killer among us, it isn’t surprising that most people are staying secretive and keep their investigation private. On the other hand, while Todoroki isn’t necessarily the most outgoing of people, he certainly isn’t trying to hide his findings at all. 

I walk over and stand next to him, spotting the item he’s staring at. There’s a block holding kitchen knives of various sizes, which looks like it’s been pushed unceremoniously out of the way, if the disrupted layer of dust is anything to go by. It’s not this that’s the cause of suspicion though – it’s the fact that there’s a large hole at the back, where a big knife would normally be placed. 

“It looks like someone took the biggest knife.” I comment, comparing them.

“And would you say it matches our murder weapon?” Todoroki asks, clearly only expecting one answer.

“Hmm…” I think back to the size of the knife that killed Ochako and compare it to the size of the knives still here. “Yeah. It’s kinda hard to tell, but I’d say so.”

He smiled slightly, satisfied with my confirmation.

“Wait, so the murder weapon definitely came from in here?” Yaoyorozu says from behind us. When we turn to face her, it’s obvious that whatever conversation she was having with Kirishima has ended and they’re now focused on our conversation as well.

“Yeah, it seems like it,” I confirm. “Why do you ask?”

The two exchange a look before turning back to us.

“It’s just that, after the DVDs were played, Yaoyorozu and I felt like we needed a distraction,” Kirishima explains. “So we came down here to have some coffee and get our minds off things.”

Todoroki’s eyes widen. “So you two were in the kitchen all evening?”

“Not in the kitchen,” Yaoyorozu adds. “Just in the Dining Hall outside. But, that means whoever we saw going in could have got the murder weapon, right?”

“Yeah.” I confirm, excited at the possibility of extra clues. “Did you see anyone?”

However, when I see them exchanging a look again, my heart sinks. That isn’t the look of two people who have information they’re comfortable with sharing.

“…We did see one person.” Yaoyorozu says hesitantly. “But just one. Which means they must have taken the knife.”

It’s a few seconds before anyone says anything, but, when it’s clear that neither Kirishima nor Yaoyorozu want to say who exactly they saw, Todoroki sighs.

“Look, you don’t have to tell us right now,” he says. If he’s disappointed about this revelation, he’s doing a good job of not showing it. “Just… if it becomes crucial to the case during the trial, will you tell us?”

Kirishima smiles softly, relieved that we aren’t putting any pressure on them. 

“Of course we will,” he confirms. “If getting the wrong choice means we’re all gonna die, there’s no way we can get it wrong.”

“Thanks for all the help, guys.” I say, hoping to somewhat lift the mood.

“Thanks, Midoriya.” Yaoyorozu grins, looking a lot happier now. “And for the record, Kirishima and I don’t think you’re the culprit. From what we’ve seen so far, you couldn’t hurt a fly.”

“I appreciate that.” I reply, before we bid each other farewell and Todoroki and I leave the kitchen.

We walk to the end of the corridor in silence, allowing me to think about what Yaoyorozu said. After so long of struggling to interact with my peers, it seems that I’m finally starting to develop relationships with other people. To be honest, I’m still slightly confused about how Todoroki and Yaoyorozu could trust me, despite the fact we’ve barely interacted. Maybe this is the kind of class I’ve always wanted to be in, with people I care about and trust?

‘It’s just a shame the circumstances weren’t different’, I muse to myself.

Once we get to the end of the hall, Todoroki looks around, before facing me.

“I can’t think of anything else that seems obvious to investigate now,” he states. “Is there anywhere in particular you want to look at? Or should we just look around the murder scene again?”

“Hmm…” I think for a second. “Oh! Do you think we could try to find the cleaning area and furnace? If any evidence has been disposed of, I guess we’ll see it there?”  
“That makes sense. Let’s go then.” 

It takes a while for us to figure out where the room in question is, since neither of us have had a particular need to go there so far. But, when we do, my optimism for the room being extremely helpful somewhat diminishes. 

“Wha-?! How can it be locked away?” I ask, staring at the metal bars stopping us from examining the furnace on the other side. 

“Ah yes, we thought the furnace might be the obvious choice for an investigation.” A voice comments from below us, making me jump. Looking down, I’m not sure whether the sight of the white bear is one that makes me feel calmer or more worried.

“If it could be important to the investigation, then why’s it locked?” Todoroki asks, slightly annoyed at the obstacle in our way.

“Well, we can’t just let anyone in! What if the culprit were able to dispose of any evidence they may have left? That wouldn’t make for a good class trial at all!” Nezu says, almost sounding shocked that Todoroki would ask such a question.

“Then what’s the point of the furnace in the first place? The whole reason for the furnace is to dispose of rubbish.”

I don't know what to say during this interaction, but there's something telling me that getting involved probably won't solve anything.

Eventually, Nezu huffs and says, “Look. You want to look at the furnace so badly? Then ask the person who has the key for it. There's a cleaning rota for precisely this reason, you know.”

I see Todoroki raising his eyebrows. “When did we get a cleaning rota?” he asks, sounding as baffled as I feel.

“Did someone ask about the cleaning rota?”

Another voice comes from the doorway and it’s at that moment that I fully realise how glad I am for someone to change the subject slightly, especially as it’s Tenya.

He continues, “As the Ultimate Moral Compass, I am proud to say that one of first things I did to make this academy run smoother is to devise a cleaning rota which would suit everyone’s needs!” And, as if the situation couldn’t get even more surprising, he produces a rota from his back pocket and proudly presents it to us.

“Wow. It’s colour-coded and everything!” I exclaim. “When did you even have the time to make this?”

Tenya goes slightly red at his rota being complimented, but still says, “I had a bit of spare time after the motive meeting we had yesterday and thought this would be the best use of my time. Naturally, I wanted to set a good example, so I’ve put myself down for today’s duties. However, I will be expecting each and every student in this class to do their part as well!”

Something clicks in my and Todoroki’s minds at this statement.

“Wait, so if you’re on duty today, then surely that means you have the key to unlock it,” Todoroki states. “In that case, you can unlock it so we can investigate for any clues.”

“I suppose so,” Tenya frowns. “But why would you need to look there? No one other than myself has been past those gates.”

“Please, Tenya, it’s important,” I plead, trying to get through to him. “There’s nowhere else we can think of which could be more important, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

He looks between me and Todoroki and, seeing that neither of us are going to give up any time soon, he sighs.

“Alright. If it will help with the trial, I don’t see any harm in it,” he agrees.

It’s at this point that I notice Nezu has slipped away, presumably due to no longer being important to the situation, but I quickly ignore his absence and focus on the fact that Tenya is now unlocking the door and entering the barred-off area. 

Looking around our surroundings, I can see there’s a lot to look at, and suddenly I’m even more grateful for the fact there were three of us here. As well as the large furnace in the centre of my vision, there’s also recycling bins and random clutters scattered around the room.

Todoroki and Tenya have already started looking around when I spot the first potential piece of evidence. Next to the large button on the wall, which would normally activate the furnace, there’s some broken pieces of what looks like glass. If there was something around that it could have fallen off of, I wouldn’t be too worried, but, looking around, I can’t see anywhere it could have come from. 

I’m about to call someone over to verify what I’m thinking when I suddenly notice Tenya standing directly next to where I’m knelt down. 

“Izuku, it looks like there’s a sleeve hanging from the furnace. Unfortunately, it’s a sleeve from our school uniform, so it doesn’t point to any particular suspects, but it’s better than nothing, right?” he states, sounding like he’s still unsure of what he’s found.

I stand up from where I was kneeling and look at it, at the same time Todoroki comes and takes a look from wherever he’d initially been looking. Judging by the spots of blood around the edge, there’s no doubt in any of our minds; this is definitely from whoever killed Ochako.

“Wow, that’s really important to the investigation! Thanks, Tenya.” I grin, watching him grow slightly red at the idea that his find was helpful. 

“It was nothing. Anyone could have found it and it doesn’t tell us too much.”

Todoroki joins in and says, “Yes, but it tells us enough. We now know that the culprit got rid of some evidence here. Or at least attempted to.”

There’s not much more to say about the sleeve, so I point out the glass on the floor.

“I found it lying there, but it can’t have fallen off of anything. So how did it get there?” I ask, wondering as to what the answer is. I then move out of the way, so Todoroki can bend down to figure out what it is.

After a few minutes, he stands up again and says, “It looks like a glass or something. If it is, then there’s no way it came from here. It’s more likely to have been something from the school store, or somewhere like that.”

Listening to this, Tenya asks the question I’ve been thinking about as well. “If it came from the school store, then why is it here in the first place?”

“And how did the culprit get in here in the first place if it was locked?” I add, confused about the whole scenario. They must have come in if there’s half-disposed evidence here, mustn’t they? But how did they unlock the door if Tenya’s the only one with a key?

A thought seems to come to Tenya as his face pales. “Izuku, Todoroki, I swear I didn’t do it. I know I have the only key, but I would never kill Ochako!”

He seems to be getting increasingly distressed at the idea, so I put my hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

“It’s alright, Tenya. We know you didn’t. You believe in us, right? So we’ll believe in you too.” I say softly. “Right, Todoroki?” I then add, glancing over hopefully.

He seems to hesitate for a second, but he still nods anyway. “Right,” he confirms.

We are about to look somewhere else, when a bell suddenly rings and a monitor in the corner of the room springs to life. Nezu seems to be waiting behind a desk, tapping a pencil slightly impatiently.

“So, um, I think it’s probably best that we start the class trial now. I don’t like waiting for too long and, well, if you haven’t found all of the clues yet, you probably never will. There’s a lift you may have noticed near the entrance hall. I would like us all to convene there to await further instructions.”

With that, the screen turns off and everything goes silent. Tenya’s the first one of us to speak up.

“He gave us instructions and he is the headmaster... But is it really okay to have the trial so soon? We don’t know who the culprit is yet!” It’s easy to tell that Tenya’s worried about the situation and, truth be told, I am too. On the other hand, Todoroki seems completely calm.

“I wouldn’t fret too much about it,” he says, almost surprised at our expressions. “People in games and shows rarely know who the culprit is at the beginning of a trial. It’s normally working through the trial itself that reveals who’s behind it all.”

I try to smile, hoping it will make the atmosphere more positive. “In that case, let’s go. Todo, Tenya, let’s catch the person who killed Ochako!”

This seems to help Tenya and he leaves ahead of us without another word. On the other hand, Todoroki seems to have frozen completely.

“Um, are you alright?” I ask, slightly worried at the sudden chance.

It’s only when I hear him mumbling, “Todo?” that I realise what happened.

“Ah! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shorten your name like that. It just slipped out, I swear.” I exclaim, panicked that I may have insulted him. But after a few moments, his expression soften again and he doesn’t seem too angry.

“It’s fine,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “It was just... unexpected. No one’s called me by a nickname before.”

“Oh, okay. Is it alright if I call you Todo? You can call me Deku or Izuku if you want?” I offer.

“I... Very well then. I’m happy with whatever you want to call me... Izuku.” He tacts the last one on hesitantly, but I feel very excited when he does.

“Alright! Should we go then, Todo? The others are probably waiting.” I ask, suddenly remembering the situation we were in.

“Ah, of course. Lead the way,” he says, smiling. For the first time so far, he looks genuinely happy, which is a bit of a surprise, considering we’re currently in the middle of a killing game.

It doesn’t take long for us to speed walk to the entrance hall, where the others were already in a group. By the looks of it, we’re the last ones here. I smile apologetically at Tenya, who seems to be stuck between wanting to be friendly and wanting to tell us off for being so late. Nevertheless, he never has to pick, as the doors to the lift open, clearly inviting everyone to step inside.

The ride downwards is extremely awkward, but, I guess after investigating with Tenya and Todoroki for so long, I’d almost forgotten that most other people in the class are convinced I’m the culprit. Unfortunately, this seems to be a difficult fact to forget at the moment, since people keep sending me clearly-negative looks. At least a lot of them are from Kacchan, so I’ve learnt to ignore them after so long.

Nevertheless, I’m feeling determined. Whatever happens next, I know that we’ll be able to figure out who the culprit is and make them pay for what they did to Ochako.

And with that, our first investigation ends, and our first class trial begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mentions of murder weapons and blood. A pretty tame chapter overall.


	6. To Debate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation's over, but not everything is clear just yet. It's up to Class 1-A to fight for survival.
> 
> (Content warnings will be in the notes at the bottom.)

I’m not sure what I was expecting when we got there, but I guess I thought it would be a bit more like real trial grounds? Either way, the red and black room that greeted us when we left the lift was more than a bit unsettling. There were also 17 spaces circling the centre.

“I see you took your time getting down here then,” Nezu states disdainfully, watching us from the large chair he’s sitting in. After a moment of silence, he adds, “Well, get on with it! You need to go to your assigned podiums.”

It’s hard to notice at first, but we’re quickly able to find out places using the carved names in the back of the wood. Unfortunately, I seem to have been placed between Kacchan and an empty space, filled only by a wooden picture of Ochako, crossed out in bright pink paint. It makes me feel sick to my stomach after seeing the state of Ochako herself, but I have to try and force my nerves down. Not only do I have to do this so that she can rest in peace, I also have to do this so we don’t all die.

We seem unsure of how to start this and eventually Nezu sighs and decides a prompt is in order.

“Why don’t I start by giving a basic rundown of the trial rul-“

“What’s the point?” Aoyama interjects, before Nezu can finish his sentence. “We already know who the culprit is, so we might as well just vote, so we can all move on with our lives.”

“Oh, we do?” Nezu asks, feigning surprise. I think everyone in the room knows he’s referring to me, though it’s a bit of a blow that Aoyama’s so confident about that idea. “Well, some people might have forgotten the rules, so I’d appreciate it if you were polite and kept quiet while I explained them. You can say your argument afterwards.”

Aoyama looks like he’s feeling a bit awkward about the passive scolding, but nods and keeps quiet.

“Okay, now I can start giving a basic explanation of the class trial.” Nezu begins. “Your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out who the culprit is, then only they will receive punishment. But, if you pick the wrong person, then I’ll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone will graduate. Are there any questions?” 

While most of us stayed silent, Tenya’s hand shoots straight up into the air.

“Please, Sir,” he asks. “Why are there 17 places when there are only 16 of us?”

Nezu seems satisfied with the respect Tenya is giving him and says, “Well, since you asked so nicely, I suppose I can grant you an answer. Truth be told, I wanted to be able to see everything clearly during the trial and that would be difficult if I had students in my line of vision. An empty space would just ruin the look of the whole thing, so it was best to add in an extra empty space. Any other questions?” He looks around quickly and, since no one else speaks up, he nods. “Well then, onto the class trial!”

Aoyama seems to take this as his time to speak and proclaims, “Not to worry, Madams and Monsieurs! Since we already know the culprit of this terrible crime, we shall be out of here in no time.”

“Do we really know who the blackened is, though?” Todoroki interjects with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course we do!” Minoru shouts out, pointing an accusing finger at me. “She was in his room, so it’s gotta be him. Who else could it be?”

“What kind of evidence is that?” Todo asks, ignoring the last question. “Have you ever considered the possibility that the murder happened in Izuku’s room intentionally? After all, that would be the perfect way of diverting attention from the real murderer.”

“But-“ Minoru begins, but he’s quickly interrupted by Asui. 

“Give it up, Minoru, we can’t just point fingers at each other and make random guesses. We only get one shot at this and if we fail, we’re all dead.”

Minoru shuts up after that, though I swear I can still hear some muttering coming from his direction.

Moving on, Tokoyami calmly suggests, “Why don’t we go over the details we know already. If someone gets anything mixed up, we’ll know to focus on that section, so then we can get everyone onto the same page.”

Everyone seems to agree with this idea and so we begin.

“According to the e-handbook,” Jiro starts, “Uraraka was killed sometime between 10pm and 12pm last night, in the room of Midoriya Izuku.”

“Her death was apparently caused by a knife through her stomach and the resulting blood loss.” Ojiro continues, looking slightly uncomfortable at the facts he is stating.

“Yeah, judging by the position of her body, it looks like she had been hiding in the wardrobe. She must have locked the door when she hid, meaning the killer had to break down the door to get to her!” Ashido added.

I gasp, looking straight at her, before shouting, “No, that’s wrong!”

She looks slightly taken aback by my interjection, as does the rest of the class around me. I give an awkward smile and say, “Sorry. I just felt like it was the right time to do that. I won’t do it again. It’s just... Ashido, did I hear you correctly? You said that Ochako locked the door behind her, to keep her safe?”

“Uh, yeah?” Ashido says, confused. “All of the wardrobes have locked doors and there’s no other reason for the culprit to break down the door otherwise.”

“Ah, I see what you mean now, Midoriya!” Kirishima says. “Ashido, that’s not the case at all. It’s only the girls who have locks on their wardrobes... for some reason.”

A couple of people glance at Nezu at this, but all he replies with is, “What? Don’t look at me. That was the decision of the previous headmaster. The guy was such an airhead, he probably bought half of the locks before realising he couldn’t afford the other half. He might as well have just not bothered.”

I don’t think anyone knows how to respond to this, so I just continue with the point I’m making. 

“Yeah, my wardrobe doesn’t have a lock on it, but it is pretty unusual from the others. You see, the door doesn’t really fit the frame, so it gets stuck easily. If you want it to open properly, you need to open it in a specific way, which Nezu showed us.”

“You say ‘us’. So who else knew the way to get the door open?” Sero asks.

“At the time Nezu explained the door to us, there was me, Tenya and Ochako in the room.”

“Wait, so it was just the three of you in a bedroom together? No wonder you were all on a first name basis.” Minoru says with what looks like the start of a nosebleed. From next to him, Kacchan swiftly slaps him in the back of his head, causing him to yell out in surprise.

“Shut the hell up, Minoru. We’re all trying to save our asses and all you’re doing is making things weird.” Kacchan then glares at me and shouts, “And what the hell are you staring at Deku?!”

I involuntarily shrink back at the shout while Tenya takes over. “I can confirm Izuku’s statement. The three of us were all aware of this fact, which would raise some questions if he was the culprit. It’s clear that Ochako used this fact to her advantage to try and save herself. In that case, why would she do such a thing if Izuku was the one trying to hurt her, since he would already know the trick to opening the door?”

“Exactly,” Todo nods. “If Izuku was indeed the blackened, then the door would be as beaten up as it was. No one can deny that, can they?”

No one does, giving me some hope. If we can really convince everyone I didn’t kill Ochako, we might be able to make it out of here alive!

At least, that’s the optimism I hold until Aoyama argues back.

“Still, that piece of evidence alone also isn’t enough to completely clear Midoriya of guilt, even though we may have a bit more faith in him now. After all, what if he forgot? Or what if he broke the door for that precise reason – to throw us off him being the blackened? There are still too many questions to be answered.”

Todo doesn’t bat an eyelid at the argument, almost as if he was expecting such a question.

“Yes, but this trial was never going to be solved with a single piece of evidence. I’m just trying to convince everyone that the best way of going about this isn’t to single out a particular person straight away.”

The others seemed to think about it for a few seconds before accepting what Todo said. Of course it would be too simple for this case to be easy enough to figure out immediately; scenarios like this don’t work that way.

“So what should we talk about next?” Tokoyami asks.

“I think... we should talk about the murder weapon.” I suggest. “After all, it’s a big part of the incident and whoever was seen last with the knife is also likely to be a suspect, right?”

“But what is there to say about it?” Kaminari asks. “It’s a knife and it was used to kill someone. It’s not like there’s any way of knowing where it came from.”

“That’s wrong though,” I say, trying not to get too enthusiastic this time. “We already know where the knife came from; it came from the kitchen!”

“It did?” Sero seems surprised. “How did you figure that out?”

“We went to check there earlier.” Todoroki explains. “I took note of how big the murder weapon was and it definitely matched the missing knife in the kitchen.”

“Plus we have witnesses who apparently saw someone go in and out of the kitchen, so whoever it was might have been the culprit, right?” I add.

“Really?” Iida asks, curious about the part of the investigation he was absent for. “Who was that?”

“Yaoyorozu! You and Kirishima had view of the kitchen entrance for the whole evening, didn’t you?” I ask, directing my attention to the two students in question. Neither of them seem particularly happy about the fact the conversation’s turned towards them though.

“Uh, yeah.” Kirishima says after having a short, silent exchange with Yaoyorozu. “We went to the kitchen straight after the motive meeting, so we could have some tea to calm down. The knife was definitely there at the time. We then sat outside, in the dining room for the rest of the evening, before returning our tea cups to the kitchen when Nezu said it was night time. When we went in, there was no knife there.”

“Interesting.” Jiro comments. “And presumably you saw people going in and out of the kitchen throughout the entire evening.”

“Not really.” Yaoyorozu says with a grimace. “We saw… one person going into the kitchen. We didn’t see anyone else for the entire night.”

“So that must be the culprit!” Ashido proclaims excitedly. “Who was it?”

“Um… I don’t think it was the culprit. In fact, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t.” For someone who was very hesitant about this subject, Yaoyorozu seems very confident with this fact. “You see, the person we saw going into the kitchen… was Uraraka Ochako herself.”

I can hear people around the room gasping at the revelation, but all I can feel is my heart sinking. When could she have done that? And why would she steal a knife from the kitchen?

“She did seem pretty jumpy last night. Maybe she wanted a knife to protect herself?” I suggest, trying to shake off the bad feeling I have about the situation.

“Or,” Todo says gently, “there might be a more obvious explanation. From what we’ve said so far, it sounds like the person who got the knife was the one who plotted a murder. I know you don’t want to hear this, but maybe that was still the case.”

There are a couple of moments of horrified silence and the bad feelings are increasing, as if feeding on the fact Todoroki is currently saying what the voice in the back of my mind was thinking.

“But… she can’t have planned to commit a murder. She had no reason to!” Iida argues, clearly thinking along the same lines as me. We only knew her for a couple of days, but she was still our friend and there’s no way she would have betrayed us.

“Of course she had a goddamn reason to kill someone!” Kacchan argues. “We all did. Those shitty DVDs weren’t given to us for no damn reason.”

“Surely whether she did or didn’t plan to kill someone is completely irrelevant though, right? I mean, she’s the one who ended up dead.” I say weakly. I’m not sure why though – maybe in a vague attempt to change the subject?

Instead, Todoroki sends me a pitying look. “I’m afraid the two factors may connect more than you want them to. I have some evidence I would like to share, which convinces me of it.” I understand why he’s continuing with the trial, because we have to. But that doesn’t make the pain of him continuing the subject any less painful in my chest.

“I was investigating Izuku’s room when I found something of interest.” he continues, pulling out a notepad. From what we can see, it looks like someone’s scribbled over the paper, with some faint markings standing out.

“You know that thing people do, where they use a pencil over a piece of paper to see what’s been written on top?” Todoroki asks, his cheeks going faintly pink. “It was a bit of a long shot, but since it works so well in detective things, I thought it would be worth a shot. And, well, I guess it was.”

Since the writing on the page isn’t very clear from a distance, he reads it out for everyone to hear.

“Hey!  
So, I’ve been feeling really down lately, after all of the stuff with the DVDs. I was wondering if we maybe meet up and chat about things? Y’know, to make me feel better and to distract me from everything that’s going on.  
I’ll be in my room at 11pm if you want to meet up. Make sure you check the door sign, so you have the right room!  
Thanks,  
Uraraka Ochako Xxx”

Given the contrast between monotone voice Todoroki uses when reading out the note and the content of it, in any other scenario, it might have seemed funny. But now, all I could feel was my blood running cold and most of the thoughts causing havoc in my brain going silent. Could Ochako have really planned to kill someone?

“Hold on a second!” Tenya cries out, clearly determined not to give up on Ochako. He seems to be having an easier time of it than I am... “There’s another, simple explanation for all of this. It appears to me that she merely got scared, wrote a note and shoved it under someone’s door.”

Asui frowns at the suggestion. “Why would she ask to meet up with someone that late at night though? It makes no sense.”

“I’ll admit that it seems a bit strange that she would go to the trouble of asking to meet up with someone when she switched rooms anyway,” Todoroki thinks aloud. “Especially when she told the person to check the door sign.”

“Oh no,” I whisper a realisation suddenly dawning on me. To be honest, I’m not sure I want to say anything, but Kacchan overhears me and glares.

“What the hell does ‘Oh no’ mean, Deku?” he says, loud enough that everyone’s attention is immediately on me.

“Um,” I hesitate, not sure how to explain. “You said something about checking the door sign, Todo? Well, when I looked outside, it wasn’t my sign on the door. It was Ochako’s.”

It seems that the same conclusion has come to everyone about what this means, but I haven’t given up on her completely.

“That doesn’t mean anything though, right? I mean, it might be a system the school has where the door automatically changes depending on who’s in the room.”

“As much as it pains me to burst your bubble, Mr Midoriya, I must ask.” Nezu joins in. “If we couldn’t even afford locking wardrobe doors for everyone, what makes you think we can afford something as high tech as that?”

I have no words at this. “But… there has to be some reason for it.” I say, quieter now that I’m running out of possibilities.

“There is a possibility, you’re just trying to ignore it as much as you can.” Todoroki says sharply. “Uraraka planned to meet up with someone in your room so she could kill them and you would be punished for it. There’s nothing else it could be, whether you believe what I’m saying or not.”

I suppose Todo has to be right. I guess Tenya and I just didn’t know Ochako that well. It’s strange – we were only together for a couple of days, yet it felt like the three of us had been friends for years. Was I really just that desperate for a friend, that I blindly trusted someone who was secretly planning to frame me for murder?

Ashido frowns. “I know we’ve figured that much out, but we still don’t know who killed Uraraka. The letter didn’t have a name on it since it was probably slid under someone’s door. Do we have anything that gives us even a suspect?”

Surprisingly, it’s Tenya who breaks out of his stupor and speaks. “If I may, I think Todoroki, Izuku and I found some evidence that might be of use. It doesn’t immediately point to anyone, but it might be a good starting point.”

When I’d looked over previously, it seemed like he was as deep in thought as I’d been. It didn’t surprise me, since we were both in similar situations, but he seems to have been able to bounce back easier than I can. He really is amazing, but, then again, he is an ultimate for a reason.

“We thought,” he continues. “That a potentially useful place to look might be the cleaning area, in case the culprit tried to dispose of anything.”

“That seems like quite the clever idea!” Aoyama says, flashing Tenya a grin. Todoroki and I are well aware that it wasn’t Tenya’s idea, but he seems so happy about the praise that it seems better to leave the subject alone. Besides, from the fact he’s pretty much glowing at the attention, it’s kind of cute.

“W-Well, as I was saying,” Tenya tries to pick up from where he left off. “I had devised a cleaning rota, due to the fact that only one person per day is allowed access to the area to clean up. As the person who devised the rota myself, I ensured that I would set an example by taking the first day’s chores. However, this means that the culprit could not have stepped inside of the cleaning area.”

“Hold up! Why does that mean they couldn’t have gone inside of the cleaning area? What if you were the culprit?” Minoru interrupts, looking suspiciously at Tenya. The possibility is one none of us hoped would be noticed, Tenya least of all, judging by how quickly his face turned white. 

“There’s no way Tenya was the one who killed Ochako!” I say quickly, before anyone else can think to agree. “He helped us to investigate the area and has been completely open about the fact he’s the only one able to get access to the area. Why would he do that if he was the blackened?”

“Plus, there was some very crucial evidence Iida found, which proves it wasn’t him.” Todo adds, looking at Tenya, so he can elaborate. 

I think Minoru mutters something along the lines of, “How convenient for him…” But, from the glares he’s getting around the room, I’m guessing he doesn’t feel like completely sharing his thoughts. Trying to ignore him, Tenya explains.

“When we were looking around, there was a piece of fabric sticking out from the furnace, which looks like the sleeve from the uniform. This doesn’t tell us much though, so I’m not sure how crucial it was.”

“It’s crucial, because it shows that you couldn’t have been the culprit,” Todo states firmly. “Since you had access, you would have been able to dispose of any evidence completely and would have clearly seen the sleeve beforehand. No, the culprit must have been someone who was at a disadvantage like, say, attempting to get rid of the evidence from a distance and having metal bars in the way.”

“You’d still have to press the button next to the furnace to activate it though, wouldn’t you?” Ojiro asks. “How would that work if you couldn’t get past the bars?”

“The sleeve wasn’t the only thing we found there,” I explain. “Directly underneath the button, we found some broken pieces, which look like they came from a glass from the school store.”

Sero’s eyes widen as he understands what we’re getting at. “So that means the most obvious explanation would be that someone balled up the evidence, threw it into the furnace, and then threw the glass at the button to turn it on, right?”

Kaminari frowns. “But you’d need to be pretty talented to do something like that. Who would even be able to?”

“I have my suspicions and have done for a while. From observing them during the trial, my thoughts have been supported so far.” Todo then turns to face me. “What do you think, Izuku? Do you know who I’m talking about?”

“Hmm. For someone to be able to accomplish something like that, it would have to be…” I point at the person in question. 

“MINORU MINETA, THE ULTIMATE BASEBALL STAR!”

Minoru’s face pales at my statement, but he doesn’t look entirely surprised.

“W-What? You can’t seriously think this was on me,” he says anyway, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze. Then he straightens up. “I know girls are weak, but that doesn’t mean I decided to kill her.” He tries to dodge the blow to the head coming from Kacchan, but considering Aoyama also tries to hit him, he ultimately fails. 

“Why not?” Todoroki says, his eyes never straying from the potential culprit. “I’ve been watching your actions throughout the trial and you’ve been very quick to put the blame on other people. You’ve been in such a hurry for us to vote for someone, it seems almost as if you wanted us to get the culprit wrong.”

“That’s not true! I just want to get this over and done with, so we can end this.” Minoru tries to reason. “Plus, I haven’t even been put near any cute girls...” At this statement, Ashido, who is the closest girl, fidgets in her spot, almost as if she wants to move further away but can’t. I don’t think anyone can blame her though. 

“As the ultimate baseball star, you’d definitely be able to throw the evidence away though,” Todo continues to reason. “Even if there were metal bars and a large distance between you and the furnace.”

“That’s not the point. You have no real proof that it was me. Unless you have something with my name on, I’m not about to surrender to this bull-“

“Who says we don’t have any other proof that this was you?” Todoroki asks. I can almost see a ghost of a smile on his face as he looks at me. “Izuku, if you please.”

I know he has a plan, but how am I supposed to know what it is? I’m a bit confused, but it seems easier to go along with whatever he has planned.

At least, that’s what I think until I actually attempt to reason with Minoru. Despite my attempts to speak, he seems to have decided it’s best not to listen at all.

“It’s all lies! You can’t prove anything! I didn’t go anywhere near that girl!” He keeps repeating the same phrases whenever I open my mouth. No one seems impressed with his method, but they don’t seem to see the point in talking to him as well.

I’m beginning to think maybe someone else might be better suited to try and get through to him, but it seems my expression is making my feelings clear to him.

“See, you have nothing else you can say,” Minoru says, almost triumphantly. “There’s nothing that can prove I was the killer! Name one more piece of evidence you have, I dare you.”

But there is one more piece of evidence, isn’t there? We noticed it right at the beginning, but that must have been what Todo was referencing.

I stare Minoru straight in the eyes and shout, “ZERO TWO DASH THREE!”

He leans back in surprise, but quickly tries to recover. The others in the room, on the other hand are looking at me like I might have gone a bit mad. The only reason I know I’ve done the right thing is by looking at Todoroki’s face; it may not change much, but there are still subtle differences and the fact he hasn’t changed from neutral at all means that this is completely what he was expecting.

“What the hell does that mean? Do you really think shouting random numbers at me is going to make me admit anything?” Minoru asks, seemingly confident about his prospects now.

“No,” I admit. “But they aren't just random numbers. They were Ochako's dying message, weren't they? While they may seem like nonsense at first, they make it abundantly clear who killed her.”

“How? Are they some kind of code, like the A1Z26 cipher, or the Caesar cipher?” Yaoyorozu says, kind of sounding excited at the prospect. I’m guessing she’s a fan of puzzles, considering the knowledge she has about them.

“Not quite,” I reply, feeling bad about how quickly her face falls. “It’s a lot simpler than that, actually. You just have to look at it from the right angle.”

It’s difficult to explain, so I decide to write the message down instead, so I can show it to everyone instead.

0 2 – 3

“If we think about it from Ochako’s point of view, it would have been difficult to leave a message which was perfect, especially if she was on the verge of dying and had to write behind her to stop the culprit from noticing. When we consider it like that, it makes sense that she would write it as an angle,” I explain, noticing Minoru’s face fall further as he realises where I’m going with this.

“Looking at it from this angle, it just looks like numbers and a dash. But, if we look at it from this angle...” I begin, before turning the paper on its side. Now, everyone can see the real message.

M  
I  
N  
O

The room is completely silent. Most people understand, but it’s left to me to say what it means aloud.

“The message obviously isn’t complete... But do we know anyone else whose name starts with ‘Mino’?”

“This... This is rigged... It’s all fake!” Minoru attempts to argue desperately. But if there was any doubt that he was the culprit before, there isn’t now.

“Give it up already.” Kaminari groans. “There’s nothing you else you can do to prove otherwise.”

“But I... I...” Minoru slumps in defeat. “I give up. Fine, I killed the girl. You can’t blame me for trying to survive though, right?!”

“Why would you do this?” Tenya asks. He sounds calm, but it’s easy to tell he’s having to try hard to stay that way.

“What did you want me to do? I thought a hot girl was hitting on me, but she was actually trying to kill me! I panicked and fought back, alright? It was technically self-defence.”

“Why would someone hit on you, you goddamn extra?” Kacchan demands, trying to make eye contact so he could successfully glare at him. Minoru is about to open his mouth when he speaks again. “You know what – just don’t. Whatever you’re gonna say, it’s not going to help anyone.”

It isn’t until Nezu starts talking again that I remember he’s still in the room.

“So, from what’s been said, it seems that you’ve found who you think is the blackened. Would you like to begin the vote?” He asks. 

After looking around at each other, Aoyama decides to be the one to speak. “Yes, I think that might be a good idea.”

And with that, our first class trial comes to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: a fair amount of swearing, suspicion and mentions of death. Plus an implicit sexual comment from Mineta.


	7. To Move On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the culprit discovered, it is now time for the voting and execution. But how easy will it be for everyone to move on from such a horrific ordeal?
> 
> (Content warnings will be in the notes at the bottom. There are stars before and after the execution in case people want to try avoiding it.)

“Okay, it’s voting time! Everyone must cast their votes, or you will be punished.” Nezu explains, his large smile never wavering. 

The room is silent for a couple of moments, with the exception of people pressing buttons in front of them. The moments feel like they’ll never end, but eventually they do and a screen appears above Nezu, flashing the word “RESULTS”. 

Finally the screen changes to a grid with our pictures and names, along with how many votes there were. Most of the students have no votes next to them, but two stand out.

MINORU MINETA: 15 VOTES  
MIDORIYA IZUKU: 1 VOTE  
AWAITING VERDICT  
LOADING...  
LOADING...  
LOADING...  
VERDICT RECEIVED.  
THE BLACKENED HAS BEEN DISCOVERED.

It seems like everyone breathes a simultaneous sigh of relief as Minoru is confirmed to be the culprit. It seemed highly unlikely that we’d got it wrong, but the knowledge that we survived is extremely comforting after the tense class trial.

Well, all of us but one have survived.

Minoru, on the other hand, is holding onto his stand for dear life and having a staring competition with the floor. It’s not until Nezu speaks again, that he finally looks up and, even then, his expression is the most terrified I’ve ever seen anyone.

“Congratulations everyone! You have successfully identified the culprit and, as a result, only he will be punished. I hope everyone’s feeling proud of the work you’ve done today.” Nezu’s expression is the complete opposite of that of Minoru, as he looks like he’s heard the best news in the world.

“Proud? I’m about to go to my death. Why should anyone feel proud about that?!” He shouts with disgust.

“Well, you did kill a fellow classmate and I warned you of the consequences of that prior to the murder. I’m not sure you’re in a position to act innocent,” Nezu comments politely.

“But it wasn’t my fault? She was the one who tried to kill me first. She led me on, so even if she hadn’t tried to attack me, she was asking for it! She was a stupid girl and I don’t understand why I’m the one being killed.” 

I look around at the expressions of the others in the room and most of them had quite quickly adopted a dark glare at this terrible excuse. Even Nezu had lost his smile.

“Y’know what, dickhead?” Kacchan suddenly yells, making me jump. “I was considering feeling sorry for you, considering you didn’t initially plan to kill anyone. But after that, I think everyone would agree with me in saying you need to be put in your place. And luckily for us, that place is hell!”

He sharply turned to the headmaster and continued. “Nezu, if you’re gonna execute him, you should probably do it now. I hope you make him suffer.”

The smile returns to Nezu’s face, but it’s considerably more unnerving now. Kacchan’s just given him permission to unleash despair onto Minoru and it appears he fully intends to make the most of it. Yet, despite the chilling tone of the room, I don’t think any of us can find it in ourselves to feel sorry for the culprit.

“It’s time for the part everyone’s been waiting for. It’s time for the execution.”

Deciding that trying to argue isn’t doing him any good, Minoru instead turns to face me. “This is all your fault, you know!”

“Now then, I’ve prepared a very special punishment for Minoru Mineta, the Ultimate Baseball Star.”

“If you hadn’t given her your room, this never would have happened.”

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s... PUNISHMENT TIME!”

“I wasn’t the one she was trying to get killed. That was **you!** ”

My breath catches in my throat at the last statement. It’s easy to see that from the murderous glare that he’s trying to cause as much damage as possible, while he still can. But that doesn’t make the pain of what he’s saying any easier to deal with.

Catching everyone by surprise, a door opens directly behind Minoru and something that looks like a mechanical claw reaches out from the darkness. As if in slow motion, the claw grabs him by the neck and drags him back through the doorway, while all he can do is flail desperately.

There’s a couple of moments where no one knows what’s happening, but then the screen that was previously displaying the votes changes. And the sight is pretty horrific.

***

Minoru’s tied up on a table, but the ropes holding him still aren’t the strangest part of the scene. What is strange is the fact that his hair is now tangled and has an obscene amount of baseballs stuck to it, like the kind of things you would use for a perm. They are definitely unusual, but don’t look completely out of place, for some reason. 

Just when we didn’t think it could get any weirder, some music starts playing in the background and an army of... tiny Nezus? start surrounding him. They each grab one of the balls and, as the music picks up, they pull them out. It happens so fast that we can barely see what’s happening, though, from Minoru’s screams, that may not be such a bad thing. The arms on the tiny creatures get faster and even more balls are being flung to the sides, along with the new addition of random tufts of hair and brightly coloured blood.

From the speed the balls are being pulled out, I wonder if the creatures will just stop when they all run out. But this seems to be far from the case. Still listening to the constant screaming from Minoru, we watch as the balls run out and the Nezus look at each other briefly before deciding to join together to hold onto the nearest limbs.

It doesn’t take much imagination to predict what will happen next and as soon as they begin to pull, I quickly look away. As terrible as a person Minoru may have been, I don’t really want to watch him be pulled apart in an execution that’s too abstract for it to exist. I’m not the only one, as I notice most of the others also turning their heads to either look in the opposite direction or stare as hard as they can towards the floor. There are also a few who continue watching, either out of being frozen in fear or sheer morbid curiosity. 

There are a few moments where all we can hear is a mix of pure screaming on Minoru’s part and some sort of tense music, which matches frighteningly well with the scene. Then, as soon as the music ends, the screams do to. I wait a few moments before turning back around, just in case it isn’t entirely over, but by the time I look back at the screen, the table that was previously covered in ropes is now only covered in blood. Once everyone has looked back and digested the scene, the screen disappears, leaving us to only state stare at Nezu.

***

“I hope everyone is now aware of the consequences if you disturb the peace in this school,” Nezu comments, as if he’d just shown us an educational video.

“Sir, I must argue against such a claim. Surely you are the individual who has disturbed the peace in this school, after those horrible videos you showed us. Furthermore…” Tenya trails off at the pointed look Nezu is giving him. Even the most naïve person who understand that the headmaster’s suggesting he quietens down, before he gets himself into the same fate.

Once Nezu is satisfied that everyone understands the message he’s trying to convey, he smiles brightly once more. “Okay, that is all! Everyone can go and enjoy some free time now. Bye bye!”

It appears that this is more of a dismissal for his sake, since he’s the first to disappear, leaving the rest of us looking at each other in confusion before moving in the general direction of the lift. I hear Kaminari quietly complaining that “we don’t have any classes anyway, so what else are we gonna do other than have free time?” – but other than that, I’m not sure anyone knows what to say.

Or maybe people are talking and I’m just blocking them out? I don’t know. I’m more distracted by the constant reminders from Minoru’s voice in my head, letting me know that he wasn’t the one she was trying to kill; not really, at least. 

Thankfully, I feel a hand placed on my left shoulder and the presence of someone next to my right, which help to ground me. Looking around, I notice the hand belonging to Tenya and the presence being Todoroki. They both have expressions which are a mix of worry and happiness at surviving, though Todo’s is slightly less obvious. 

I clear my throat, ready to attempt to push the voice to the back of my head. 

“Hey you two. Thanks for all of the help back there. If it wasn’t for you, we probably wouldn’t have got through that trial.” I say, trying to smile at them. Despite my attempts this appears to make both of them more worried rather than less. 

“You’re taking Minoru’s last words to heart, aren’t you Izuku?” Todo says quietly, seeing past my forced cheerfulness. 

Sighing in defeat, I ask, “Well, can you blame me? It’s kinda difficult not to...”

“That doesn’t mean you need to shoulder the blame for this case alone, Izuku. After all, you did nothing wrong. Ochako played us all...” It’s suddenly clear to me that Tenya’s doing a better job of trying not to blame himself than I am and I suspect that last sentence was an attempt to reassure himself, as well as me.

I sigh again. “You’re right, Tenya. It just feels like I’m the one who set this whole plan in motion by being stupid enough to trust Ochako and swap bedrooms with her. And it’s not like I want to worry anyone else with my problems. I’ve been alone enough now that I should find it easy to deal with thing as without having to bother other people.”

I hear Todoroki give a light laugh at my words and I turn to stare at him confused. When he realises what he’s done, he just says, “Believe me, I know where you’re coming from, especially with my mess of a family. But at the same time, we can see you trusting those around you, even when one of your friends was a traitor. You need to hold onto that hope and trust, because it’s not easy to get back, even if it is possible.”

I’m surprised at how open Todo is about his experiences and presumably that surprise is obvious, from how quickly his confidence dies down. 

“Sorry, that was... more than I was expecting to say. That was weird.” Todo says quietly. 

“Don’t worry about it, Todoroki! We appreciate the honesty and are honoured that you trust us so much.” Tenya says cheerfully. I nod in agreement – it’s nice to see everyone here   
happy.

Then Tenya checks his watch and seems surprised. “It looks like it’s getting late. I suggest we should go and get some dinner and possibly an early night.”

“Yeah, now that I think about it, I am pretty hungry.” I say, my mind now almost entirely fixated on the idea of food. “Let’s go!”

After eating dinner in the dining hall with the others, we all go our separate ways and go to bed. Tenya’s quietly informed me that if I don’t want to go back to my room after what happened, I can always share with him for the night. But, given the circumstances, I think keeping the default rooming arrangements is probably best. 

I brace myself before I go in – so much has happened in one day – but when I enter, it looks like I didn’t need to worry. Any trace that a murder had ever occurred is gone, from the body and murder weapon to the blood and scratches around the room. It seems I’ve even got a new wardrobe, one that isn’t difficult to open.

It makes sense. Considering how much of a mess it has resulted in in the past few days, who knows what else it could do?

There are still a couple of scratches on the walls that serve as a reminder of what happened, but they seem to be the only traces. Still, with the things that have happened, I sigh as I lay down on the bed, ready for the sleepless night ahead of me. 

It takes a few hours of tossing and turning, but eventually I find that I’ve nodded off to sleep from pure exhaustion. When I wake up, I thank whichever being allowed me to sleep without the plague of nightmares.

But, presumably I can’t get too used to my role as the Ultimate Lucky Student, because despite feeling anything but ready to face the day, I hear a sharp knock on my door. 

“Coming!” I yell, quickly shoving on some new clothes. Unsurprisingly, when I open the door, there’s Todoroki and Tenya waiting for me, Tenya clearly anxious about being late.

“You know there isn’t an explicit time that we need to get to breakfast, right?” Todo asks Tenya, eyebrows furrowed. 

“I know… But as the Ultimate Moral Compass, what would it look like if I was one of the last people there?! I would look lazy and fail to live up to expectations, something I cannot allow.” Tenya says, fidgeting from side to side.

“Let’s not worry about it! I’m ready now, so we can get going.” I try to reassure him, smiling as brightly as I can. Both Tenya and Todo give small smiles as well and we set off for the dining room.

Lucky for us, there are only Yaoyorozu and Jiro already in the dining room, meaning Tenya can be satisfied that his reputation remains unblemished. After we sit down for breakfast, people start arriving in packs, with Aoyama and Asui walking in and talking about the best materials for swimwear, followed by Ojiro and Tokoyami entering while discussing their favourite animals.

In fact, it’s only after most of us are finished with breakfast and are preparing to make a plan for the day that Kacchan storms in, the rest of the students in tow. 

“Come on, Bakugo, don’t we at least get a thank you for waking you up?” Kaminari calls, trying to keep up.

“Why would I thank you?! I’m perfectly capable of waking up myself, you know!” Kacchan shouts back, refusing to look at the group behind him.

“If we hadn’t, you wouldn’t be awake for breakfast though!” Ashido pouts, “And the Bakusquad has to stick together, after all.” The last sentence seems to be enough to confuse Kacchan into turning round of face them. 

“The what-now?” 

“The Bakusquad. That’s what we called ourselves. Can’t have a cool group without a cool name, right?” Kirishima grins broadly.

“After all, with all of the teamwork we put into the last investigation, it seems we get along pretty well. And being the Bakusquad means you get to be the leader!” Sero reasons with a grin on his face.

Seeing Kacchan go silent, it looks like he’s debating whether being seen as the best is worth joining a friendship group. It’s not very visible, but from the small smile he’s hiding, I think he’s quite happy at the idea that people want to be friends with him already.

Composing himself again, he sits down at the table, leaving enough room for the five of them to sit together. 

“Fine, I’ll go along with your cult. Now sit down before you all embarrass yourselves!”

Once they are all sat down, Tenya stands up. “Now, after the effects of recent events, I think it would be wise for us to have a free day today. However, since there is still a lot to explore, I implore you all to keep an eye out for new information. We shall convene here for lunch at noon and for dinner at 7, so anyone who has found anything out can share with the rest of us. Is anyone willing to be in charge of cooking for now?”

Yaoyorozu puts her hand up. “I’ve grown quite fond of cooking at home, so, while I can’t say that it will be the best food, it may suffice for now.”

Tenya nods. “Good plan. If you need any assistance to cope with the number of us here, feel free to ask anyone. Additionally, I must remind everyone that there is a rota for bin disposal and we must stick to it if we are to live here peacefully. That is all I have to say.” 

As he sits down, he seems slightly nervous. I’m guessing sticking to the rules and being strict is a coping mechanism for him, something everyone could find useful at the moment.

After eating breakfast, everyone naturally splits into groups and goes off into different directions. I eat fairly quickly, but wait for Todoroki and Tenya.

“Is there anywhere you guys want to go first?” I ask, trying to make conversation while I wait.

“There was a gate over the stairs to the third floor before. Would we be able to take a look at them to see how weak they are? More floors mean more clues.” Todo asks, having put a lot of thought into the idea.

“That’s a wonderful idea, Todoroki! Plus, while the floors of the academy are rather large, it won’t take long for us to feel claustrophobic in here. Any way to avoid such a situation would be ideal.” Tenya nods approvingly.

I smile, feeling more hopeful than I was this morning. The situation we’re in isn’t the best, but I’m glad to have found people I can trust since it isn’t a luxury I’ve had in the past. With this hope, maybe we can get out of this mess and everyone will be saved! I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: highly sexist comments, swearing, graphic violence, and an implicit mention of Endeavour.


	8. Boy's Life of Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the first trial, there are more discoveries to be found. But just what will Class 1-A find on the next floor?
> 
> (Content warnings at the bottom of the chapter. This chapter hasn't been proofread, so I will need to alter it when I return home on Friday.)

Whatever plans we’d made for getting around the gate vanished as soon as we got there. Just like the gate had, apparently.

“How did it disappear so quickly?” I wonder as I walk up to where it had once been. “No one noticed anything when we came back from the trial, so we can assume it was still there then. In that case it must have been removed overnight. But how was it removed so easily and quietly? Surely someone would have heard it? Of course, the dorms are sound-proof, so that’s not necessarily the case…”

I don’t notice I’m getting lost in my thoughts until Tenya brings me back to reality by placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Right, sorry.” I apologise, though Todo and Tenya just look bemused. 

“It’s alright, Izuku. While it is admirable that you are able to make so many deductions based on small changes, a more concise method may be more effective in the future.” Tenya says with a small smile.

On the other hand, Todo seems to have moved closer to the staircase, looking at the walls. 

“You do make a good point though, Izuku,” he says without looking at us. “Considering there aren’t any dents in the wall, it doesn’t look like the gates were actually bolted on. Maybe the bolts are just for show and they are designed to be easily removed by the mastermind?”

He then turns back to us. “Regardless, we discover more by going to the second floor. Shall we?”

We make our way up the stairs to find hallways that are pretty much the same as the ones before. The only differences seem to be the rooms they lead to, and, while it does mean that it’s not very easy to look around without getting lost, it’s nice to see that the building does still seem like a school.

I suppose the bolts on the windows and stairs to the third floor could work against the school atmosphere, but I have a feeling some people would say otherwise.

We’re exploring for most of the morning, but we still learn a lot. Not only do there seem to be classrooms for the first time (though the ones we saw were almost identical), but there is also a swimming pool with changing rooms and exercise equipment, and a library. While these may not seem like much, the school looked like it had several more floors above this, so at least we are making progress. Though, if we gain floors every time there’s a class trial, maybe it would be best not to make a habit of it.

Considering we have Tenya with us, it’s natural that we get to the dining hall ten minutes before noon and try to help Yaoyorozu with making and putting food on the tables. Once again, people arrive in groups, but everyone seems a lot happier now than they were this morning, despite what happened yesterday.

With not much else to talk about, conversation naturally leads to talking about anything we’ve noticed today. Despite not seeing anyone else on our side of the building, it seems that most people ended up investigating the second floor via the staircases on different sides, though everyone focused on different areas.

Kaminari and Jiro are talking about their time, mostly spent in the library. They seem particularly excited due to the fact they came across a computer and, while they can’t currently turn it on, Jiro has made it her personal project to get it working again soon. It sounds like they were briefly joined by Yaoyorozu, though she left early to begin making lunch.

Asui, Aoyama, Ojiro and Tokoyami are a fairly surprising group, I’ll admit, but they were all quite interested in the new swimming pool and surrounding area. Asui’s interest is obvious, due to the fact she is the Ultimate Swimmer, and Ojiro is just happy that there’s a space for his animals to swim (though he does promise to clean the pool after they do so). Even Tokoyami’s interest can be explained through the amount of exercise equipment there is. Though, everyone seems confused at Aoyama’s interest.

“Did you not look in the lockers?” Aoyama asks when someone questions this. “We each get a swimming costume tailored to our size. I just wanted to see how fashionable they look and whether I can help them become as beautiful as the swimming costumes we have at home!”

“Is that why you were collecting the spare swimming costumes from the storage room then?” Asui questions.

“But of course!” Aoyama responds. “What kind of artist would I be to assume I could make them perfect straight away? While there are a large number of standard sized swimming costumes, we only have one perfectly fitted to us each. So, I can only practise on the standard ones for now."

While I don’t doubt Aoyama’s abilities as the Ultimate Fashionista, I’m slightly concerned about how focused he is on this. 

Meanwhile the ‘Bakusquad’ (sans Kaminari) seem to have stuck together all morning, considering they are all talking about the classrooms they looked around. It seems that we missed a lot of other rooms and, while I’m happy to have avoided Kacchan for most of the morning, it seems that some of the rooms were more unusual than the others.

“They were so weird,” Ashido comments. “You'd think with a school this high standard, all of the rooms would be perfect. But, some of them had graffiti on and it wouldn’t come off when we tried to get rid of it.

“Clearly whoever did that had no respect for the authority and status of this school! To what extent were they defacing this property that wasn’t theirs?” Tenya says, seemingly more worried about the morals of graffiti than any meanings behind it.

“It wasn’t a huge amount of mess.” Kirishima explains. “Most of it was just things you’d expect from a regular high school, like random symbols or messages. But on some of the boards, it looked like there were pictures of Nezus and the world on fire. Wasn’t creating a very optimistic view of the outside, I’ll admit.”

Looking at the other uneasy faces around the table, I'd say the others feel the same way.

After we explain our findings, which mostly just consist of guesses about the gate, conversation about the morning ends and the rest of lunch goes fairly smoothly. After we're all done, Asui and Tokoyami volunteer to do the washing up and everyone else goes their separate ways, this time for free time rather than investigating new areas.

But, considering there isn’t really many individual activities I can think of to do, I just stick with Tenya and Todo, and we decide to spend some time in the library.

Luckily the room’s empty when we get there, presumably due to the fact the only people with a strong interest in it were Jiro and Kaminari, and they've taken the computer elsewhere.

“Todoroki, I must ask. You and Izuku seemed to figure out the last case fairly quickly. Do you have any idea what kind of motive Nezu is planning to use next?” Tenya asks. Considering everyone’s pushed the last motive and the possibility of murder out their minds as much as possible, it’s a fair question.

But, Todo just shakes his head. “We were able to solve the murder through clues that were clearly presented to us. But, I suspect any plans Nezu has, he will want to cover up as much as he can. If we can predict what happens next, there's a chance of us stopping it pre-emptively.”

“Besides, it’s not like Nezu's working independently, right?” I add. “I mean, he's a robot. Even if he was an AI, which I don’t think is currently possible considering how life-like he seems, someone must have built him and given him instructions for this game.”

“One of the laws of robotics is that robots can’t turn on humans and harm them.” Todo says solemnly. I’d almost assume he's being serious if not for the small smile he was trying to hide.

When Tenya comes to the same conclusion, he laughs loudly.

“Todoroki, I had no idea you had a sense of humour!”

“I have a reputation to uphold. I can’t let everyone know.” Todo comments, slightly glowing at the positive feedback.

“Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. Your secret is safe with us!” I grin. 

At this point, while the situation isn’t ideal, I feel like there isn’t anyone else in the world I'd rather be with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mumbling, I guess? Graffiti? Again, another fairly tame chapter.


	9. Boy's Life of Secrecy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With everyone feeling more optimistic again, it was only a matter of time before Nezu returned with another motive. But what kind of an effect will it have on the class?
> 
> (Content warnings at the bottom of the chapter. This chapter will include Endeavour and Todoroki's backstory though, so anyone who may be affected by that should look at the content warnings before reading.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't post anything last week. I haven't been feeling very well, so motivation's been somewhat hard to come by. That being said, I'm alright now so bring on the angst!

After speaking with Tenya and Todoroki until the night-time announcement, I’m feeling happier than I have been for a while. So much so that when I awake to the morning announcement the next day, I actually wake up with a smile on my face. And considering we have to wake up to Nezu wishing us a despair-inducing day with a creepy grin, that’s saying something.

It seems we’ve developed a routine quite quickly. Tenya and Todo meet up and wait for me to get ready (10 minutes earlier than I would like to, but anything to keep Tenya feeling in control). Then, we go down to the Dining Hall and wait for the others to slowly arrive, speaking in small groups until Tenya goes over the plan for the day and Yaoyorozu gets ideas for meals to make.

We are supposed to be doing the same thing as yesterday; exploring the building in the morning and having free time in the afternoon. That routine would have been welcomed, but it seems Nezu had other plans, as he pops up at the end of the table just as we’re about to head out.

“Now that you all seem a bit too hopeful again, I think it’s time for another motive! Please make your way to the Main Hall so we can begin.” Nezu says, sounding like he’s inviting us to lunch rather than inviting us to have another incentive to kill each other.

“Oh yeah?! And what happens if we refuse?!” Kacchan yells. He has a good point, but from the lack of change in Nezu’s expression, I suspect he’s already accounted for such a possibility.

“If you had read the rules in your e-Handbook, you’d find that one of them clearly states that no one is allowed to disobey the headmaster. Naturally, anyone who goes against this has no place in this academy, so will be executed.” He explains.

From the paling faces around the table, I don’t think anyone’s intending on pushing their luck. So, the group begrudgingly makes our way to the Hall, the air getting tenser the closer we get.

Considering the last motive we had, it’s not surprising that we have all sorts of possibilities coming to mind. Will they threaten my mum again? Will they threaten other people we cared about? Or will they just threaten to kill us all and get it over with?

Arriving at the Main Hall doesn’t really answer anything for us, since the only addition to the room is a list of envelopes on the table, each with our names written on the front. Behind the table, Nezu is now looking at us smugly.

“Now that you have been properly acquainted with all of your classmates, I felt this motive would be a good bonding exercise. I am going to give everyone an envelope each and you must read the contents, regardless of what you see.” He explains, handing each student their respective envelope.

Considering his threat earlier, we’re all fairly quick to open the envelopes when Nezu looks at us all expectantly. The piece of paper inside isn’t particularly big and only contains a couple of lines.

Aoyama Yuga:  
One time he wore socks with sandals…

I frown at the sentence, confused as to how it’s supposed to convince me to do anything bad. What, was I supposed to want to kill Aoyama for wearing socks with sandals?

Looking around, there seem to be a varying degree of emotions on people’s faces. Some people look downright terrified, while other people are expressing the same amount of confusion as I’m currently feeling.

“I will now explain further. For this motive, I have written down all of your darkest secrets and handed them out to someone else. You aren’t allowed to give the paper to anyone else, so no swapping back and pretending nothing has happened! If that’s not enough, then I will say that if no one is killed within the next 48 hours,” he turns to the back of the room, where a timer has now been set, “everyone’s secrets will be exposed to the rest of the class. So, feel free to use this as an opportunity to murder someone!”

With that he exits, leaving us to our thoughts. While there was a lot of pressure the first time round, with everyone’s loved ones being on the line, the idea of a time limit being in place makes the pressure even more overwhelming now.

“Well, the solution to this is obvious, isn’t it?” Tenya asks, forcing a smile onto his face. “The best case scenario here is that everyone’s secrets will be revealed and no one dies. So, if we all reveal them now, this motive will be completely useless!”

I nod at this, but Kacchan doesn’t seem as fond of the idea.

“Like hell am I gonna reveal my darkest secret to a bunch of extras! Whoever has my piece of paper had better not say anything or I’ll destroy you!”

While this reaction is kinda expected at this point from Kacchan, it surprises me a lot more when Yaoyorozu agrees with him.

“I’m afraid that while this plan would ultimately work, I must agree with Bakugo. It’s likely these secrets vary in severity, so while a lot of them may be trivial, there are almost definitely some with more… sensitive information in. I do not want to make anyone feel uncomfortable in this group, especially in such a confined space.”

Tenya bows his head. “I see. I apologise for the suggestion then. I forgot to consider the feelings of the rest of the class and this plan won’t work if not everyone is willing to share. In that case, we should have some time to process this motive and try to come up with a solid plan at lunch.”

Everyone is in agreement at that, so once again we all go our separate ways, this time feeling more despair than before.

I try sitting in my room for a while and thinking, but the idea that some of these motives are bad enough to kill for makes me feel restless, especially as Aoyama’s secret unfortunately seems to be one of the less extreme examples.

In the end, I give up and stand up from the bed, deciding to wander around the school for a bit. I don’t want to disturb anyone if they need to spend time on their own, but maybe getting up will make it easier to focus on coming up with a plan.

Surprisingly enough though, I bump into Ashido and Sero fairly quickly.

“Hey Midoriya!” Sero greets. “How’re you holding up?”

“Not too bad, though things would be a lot better without a motive hanging over our heads,” I admit. The two students nod, making it clear they’re feeling the pressure of it as well.

“It’s definitely a… difficult situation.” Ashido comments. “At least if it was our own secrets we would have an idea of what we were exposing ourselves as and we could tell close friends in advance. This way, even if we wanted to talk about what we’ve read, to do so would be exposing someone else’s secret and betraying their trust.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I have no idea what my darkest secret would be, so there isn’t any way to prepare for it. But then, the people who do have an idea of what their secret is are probably the ones who have no intention of sharing.” I respond.

Ashido makes a vague noise of agreement in reply and suddenly I notice that she’s been avoiding eye contact and hasn’t seemed as confident as she has been over the past few days. Maybe the secret she was given or her own secret was a serious one?

Either way, I probably shouldn’t pry, so I try to change the subject. “Hey, have you guys seen Kacchan?” I ask. “I’m guessing he’s probably avoiding everyone right now, but he’s not as tough as he seems.”

“Hmm? You mean Bakugo, right? Nah, I don’t think any of the Bakusquad have seen him yet, though we know he’s locked himself in his room.” Sero answers. He looks grateful at the change of subject, however minor it may be. “We asked him if he needed anything, but he just said we shouldn’t be bothering with him. We’re planning on trying to get him out of there at lunch.”

Ashido seems slightly brighter at this. “Right! Kaminari’s currently with Jiro, playing with their computers again, and I think Kirishima’s doing a workout with the exercise equipment. So, we’ve made plans to meet up in about an hour.”

I feel slightly calmer about their answers. Kacchan’s always had followers, but has a harder time getting actual friends, so it’s nice to see people who are determined to look out for him, whether he likes it or not. 

‘Looks like this school has been a change for both of us,’ I muse.

Looking back at Ashido and Sero, I just say, “That’s good. I’m going to wander round the school a bit more, but I’ll see you at lunch!”

“Right. See you later, Midoriya!” Ashido says, the pair walking away.

After this conversation, I get the impression that there aren’t as many people just sitting in their rooms as I thought there were. Thinking about this, I don’t really notice that I’ve subconsciously walked back to the place we were sitting yesterday, and it seems that Todoroki and Tenya had similar ideas, considering they’re both already sat in that part of the hallway.

“Is this now our new meeting spot or something?” I try joking when they realise I’m there.

“Normally I would condone loitering in the halls,” Tenya responds, “but, considering how little leisure space we have now, this area is certainly adequate.”

As I sit down, Todo starts talking. “Iida and I just arrived. We were wondering whether to come and find you, but considering we don’t know how serious everyone’s secrets are, it’s not very easy to gauge how much people want to be alone currently.”

“You don’t need to worry about me, Todo. The secret I got wasn’t particularly ground-breaking and I’ve no idea what my secret would even be. I can’t say I haven’t been wondering though.” I reply.

“I might be able to help with that, Izuku.” Tenya says, looking slightly awkward but speaking nonetheless. “After all, it was your secret I received.”

“Really? What is it?” I ask. “I know I can’t take the piece of paper, but you can read it to me, right?”

“If that is what you want and you are comfortable, then I can do that.” Tenya confirms.

Holding up the piece of paper, he reads it aloud for me and Todoroki to hear.

“Midoriya Izuku:  
He’s accidentally called teachers “mum" multiple times, the most recent being only a couple of years ago.”

The three of us are silent for a moment.

“That’s it?” I check. “But, that’s not a motive to kill someone either! What kind of secrets are they giving out?!”

“That’s all there is.” Tenya confirms. “I have an idea of what mine is, but considering it’s more of an emotional secret than a physical one, I’m unsure of how that could be used as a motive either.”

It’s then that we realise Todoroki hasn’t said a word in a while, and is now staring intensely at the floor.

“Todo?” I ask tentatively. “Are you alright?”

He flinches slightly, which worries me a lot. What did I say that could make him have such a reaction?

Taking a couple of breaths, he finally says, “Izuku, Iida, I have what may seem like an unusual request at this point. While I appreciate the nickname, I would greatly prefer it if you were to both call me Shoto instead.”

This is certainly surprising, but I think we both get it anyway.

“This is about your secret, isn’t it?” Tenya states.

Todo- Shoto nods. “You were correct earlier in that the best case scenario in 48 hours will be that everyone’s secrets will be revealed. When that happens, I want to be known by my first name, rather than my family name. And…”

He hesitates before trying to look more emotionless. “I trust you two most out of anyone here, so if you are willing to listen, I want to share my secret with you now. At least, I’m assuming that this will be my darkest secret.”

“You can tell us anything, Shoto.” Tenya responds. “And if it makes you feel better, please call me Tenya also. We should all have the same level of trust in each other by now.”

Shoto gives a small smile, though I notice the emotion doesn’t reach his eyes. “Very well, then. Thank you, Tenya. First of all, I must know. How much do you know about arranged marriages?”

Tenya and I inhale sharply, and I answer the question. “They haven’t been legal in Japan for a while, though I’ve heard that some of the richer families still do them in secret. Shoto, are you-?”

He cuts the question off quite quickly. “Definitely not. Even if my bastard of a father wanted me to, girls aren’t… really my type. No, I’m talking about my mother and father.”

He goes on to explain. “My father was the creator of one of the fastest building companies in Japan in his twenties. The Endeavour Corporation only had a few companies to surpass before it would become the top in the country. So, to surpass them, he turned to more… unconventional means. He made a deal with another company that had been around for a while. He would marry my mother to gain an heir, which would keep the company running in the future, and the two corporations would merge to form one larger one, which could easily take the number two spot. So, against my mother’s wishes, her family agreed and my sister was born.”

“Naturally, my father is also the biggest misogynist in the world, so my sister was not deemed good enough to take over the company and I was born instead. Preparations to start training began as soon as possible and, despite being 5 when I started, everything I could possibly need to know was drilled into me. And, every time I made a mistake, my mother suffered for it.”

“Shoto…” I whisper, tears building up. Despite my sudden urge to cry and Tenya’s expression that makes it seem like he’s fighting the urge to hug Shoto, he just seems melancholy about the whole ordeal.

“Three years ago, it became too much for my mother and she made plans to run away. When she found out I had been listening, she couldn’t take it anymore and lashed out. In response, my father forced her to be admitted to a mental hospital, so she couldn’t ‘interfere with my progress’ anymore.” Shoto laughs bitterly at this.

Looking up at us, he says, “So that’s my secret. My father threatened me if I reported his abuse, so I didn’t. And because of that, my mother will probably never be allowed out of that hospital again.”

How do you respond to something like that? I kind of knew that my secret would be far from the worst one, but the idea of this secret consuming and destroying Shoto is heart breaking.

I just wipe any tears from by eyes and look up at him with determination.

“In that case, that’s all the more reason for us to make it out together. If you are too scared, we can come with you to report him. Then, you can get your mum out finally and my mum can keep you safe in the meantime.”

Shoto looks me in the eyes in surprise. “You would do that?”

“We both would.” Tenya contributes. “This situation isn’t healthy for you to keep internal, so the first step to your recovery will be making a plan. This way, we all have to get out. Otherwise the Endeavour Corporation will thrive and no one wants that.”

Shoto lets out a laugh, though how much of it is down to his bewilderment at us offering support is unknown.

“I suppose I should share my secret also.” Tenya then says. “It’s not as big as Shoto’s, but is important to me nonetheless. Are either of you aware of the politician Iida Tensei?”

“I am!” I answer. “He’s a huge supporter of improving disability rights and has a 99% approval rating in the area he represents. Don’t tell me…”

Tenya sits up proudly. “Yep, he’s my older brother! And I want to be able to help people as much as he has some day, especially those in minority groups. But, I have a feeling that’s the issue my secret will bring up. My parents talk all the time about the honour he’s brought to the family and, truth be told, part of the reason I try to be as active in the school community as possible is to try and match up to him. But, I’m not sure I can do anything right in comparison.”

He falters slightly after this. “I mean, it’s a rather trivial matter, but it’s the main thing that comes to mind…”

“Not at all.” Shoto comments, having recovered a bit now that the pressure is off of him. “Your feelings are more important than you give credit for, regardless of what you compare them to.”

After this, the conversation is back to slightly more positive topics. Shoto talks more about his sister, Fuyumi, Tenya talks more about his brother, and I just talk about my mum, continuing the conversation as we walk to the Dining Hall for lunch.

Hopefully we will be able to see our families again soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Explicit mentions of Endeavour, domestic abuse, implied sexual abuse, forced marriages, feelings of unworthiness and an overall theme of keeping secrets.


	10. Boy's Life of Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the deadline drawing closer, Iida steps in to try and lift the mood. But will it be enough to prevent another murder?
> 
> (Content warnings at the bottom of the chapter.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suppose this chapter could also be named: 'In which the author doesn't know how to use a calendar because it's definitely not Monday and reads way too many chat fics'.
> 
> On a different note, if anyone is interested in what everyone's secrets are and who has each one, I can post them after the motive is over? I've planned everyone's, but likely won't include them all in the incoming chapters themselves.

By the next morning, it seems like people are still on the edge about the fact their worst secrets could be revealed in just over 24 hours. So, it’s not surprising that Tenya decides to intervene and suggest we do some ‘class bonding’ activities.

“Not only will it create stronger class unity, but regularly doing group exercises should stop people from getting bored too quickly!” He explains proudly.

“Sounds stupid. I’m not doing it.” Kacchan says, looking bored.

“C’mon Bakugo, it will be fun! Besides, it won’t be the same if you don’t join in.” Kirishima pleads. Kacchan just rolls his eyes in response, but considering he doesn’t say anything else, it pretty much translates to silent acceptance.

“With that sorted, does anyone have any suggestions of activities?” Tenya asks.

Asui looks around to see if anyone else wants to talk before speaking. “We could use the pool to play some swimming games? It’s kinda hot in here and I think I saw some inflatables in the store room that we could use.”

“There’s no way that’s gonna be fair though,” Sero complains. “Just because you’re amazing at swimming doesn’t mean the rest of us are any good.”

Rather than responding, Asui seems to involuntarily shrink back. It’s fairly noticeable, so I think everyone simultaneously remembers that their secrets are likely to be on different topics, so some people may struggle more with talking than normal.

After a brief silence, Yaoyorozu puts her hand up. “As someone’s talents will probably benefit them regardless of what we choose, why don’t we tone down the competitiveness in them by focusing more on party-style games? For example…”

From behind her back, Yaoyorozu pulls out an object that has clearly been wrapped up several times. Kaminari stands up in shock.

“Woah! You just pulled a parcel out of thin air. You really are the coolest magician ever!”

Yaoyorozu just looks flustered at the comment and replies, “Actually, that wasn’t a magic trick. I had a similar idea to Iida, so set up a few things in advance, since I had a feeling more of the class would approve. There are also chairs and some music in the Main Hall in case we wanted some more old-school games. Otherwise, there are likely to be other objects we can use to improvise some games.”

Everyone seems to have perked up at the plan, even those who don’t show emotions as much, like Shoto and Tokoyami.

Ashido fist punches the air in excitement. “Alright, the class mum and dad are on a roll! Let’s go and get started.”

Without waiting for a reply, she and most of the ‘Bakusquad’ run off, followed by Kacchan yelling obscenities at them. The rest of the class sets off as well, most people stopping to compliment Yaoyorozu and Tenya on their preparations as they walk. I get up from my seat as well, but pause when I realise that Asui is still sat down, deep in thought.

“Hey,” I walk up to her, breaking her from her thoughts. “I just wanted to say that I thought your idea was really good, Asui. It’s a shame that some of the other guys in our class can get a bit competitive, but if you wanted to swim later, I’m sure we could get a small group together to meet up there?”

Asui just smiles sadly at me. “Thank you, Midoriya. That would be wonderful. But please, call me Tsuyu.”

“Will do,” I reply and with that, Tsuyu gets up from her seat and we go to join the others in the Main Hall.

The activities are certainly eventful and, by lunch, we seem to have gone through every party game we’ve ever experienced. Unfortunately, despite Yaoyorozu’s initial hopes that people wouldn’t get too competitive, there doesn’t seem to be any way of stopping Kacchan from pushing people out of the way in musical chairs, or Kaminari from passing the parcel around the circle as slowly as physically possible.

Nevertheless, everyone seems happier when we sit down to eat. So, when Jiro suggests Truth or Dare, it seems like a fun idea. As the one who suggested the game, Jiro gets to start.

“Alright... Tokoyami, truth or dare?” She says, looking across the table.

“Truth,” he replies without hesitation.

“I’ll start with something light. You seem to have some sort of punk rock vibe going on. Would you agree that you’re into that sort of music?” Jiro asks. Considering she was the one in charge of the music during the party games, it’s easy to see that she’s probably a music fan.

“That is correct. I was quite a big fan of My Chemical Romance back in the day, and there are certainly many other good artists within the genre.” Tokoyami then turns to the student next to him. “Aoyama, truth or dare?”

“You’re asking moi? Why, a dare of course!” The glitter that is inexplicably thrown everywhere seems a bit unnecessary, but Tokoyami doesn’t seem surprised about that either.

“Hmm. I admit, I’m not very good at dares. I suppose I dare you to choose a member of the class and give them some fashion advice?”

“That isn’t difficult at all! Okay...”Aoyama looks around at everyone, choosing his prey. “How about Bakugo?”

Anyone who knows Kacchan groans at the suggestion. RIP Aoyama, you went down a hero.

“What the hell’s wrong with my appearance, you sparkly freak?!” Kacchan just yells back at him.

“Well, objectively, you have the potential to be the most good looking person in the class. Apart from the obvious flaws in your personality, your hair would be a lot nicer if it was combed down. Additionally, we’ve only been here a few days and every set of uniform you’re seen in has holes and burns on them, which isn’t even done in a way that makes it look staged.”

Aoyama then winks at Kacchan, despite his confused expression. “But don’t worry, feel free to meet me at any point, so i can help you properly.

Thanks to Aoyama’s half compliment, I suspect he’ll be able to live another day.

“Braver than any marine...” Kaminari murmurs, Jiro elbowing him in response. If Aoyama hears this, he doesn’t acknowledge the comment, instead looking around the table again with a bright smile.

He ponders for a moment, before declaring, “Todoroki, I choose you!”

Shoto seems slightly surprised at being picked on. “Truth?”

“Is there anyone in the class that you... like?” Aoyama asks, winking. It’s clear he’s trying to up the stakes of the game.

“I like Izuku and Tenya, though that should have been pretty obvious. Is it my turn now?”

I feel my cheeks heating up at the answer, though I think he may not have been aware that Aoyama meant it romantically. Exchanging a look with Tenya tells me he’s thinking the same thing.

“Um, I think Aoyama meant are there any girls that you like?” Sero suggests.

Aoyama just looks offended though and answers before Shoto can. “Of course I didn’t mean that. Why would I restrict the question to only acknowledging a single binary gender? Love is love regardless!”

This time Jiro’s the one who makes a reference, as she informs Sero that “people are gay, Steven”.

Shoto, on the other hand, seems to have only just understood what’s going on. “Wait, what? I think I may have misinterpreted the question.”

Aoyama just throws glitter in response. How does he have so much on him?

“O-Okay... Yaoyorozu? Truth or dare?”

“Dare?” She responds, looking nervous. From the look on Shoto’s face though, I don’t think he had a dare in mind and is struggling to think of one.

“Do a magic trick, I guess? No, wait... make something appear and give it to the person you think deserves it the most.”

This could either go really well or really badly for the person receiving, depending on what the object is. Yaoyorozu thinks about it for a moment before reaching into her sleeve and pulling out a pretty paper flower. Without hesitating, she then passes it to Jiro, whose face goes as red as ours’ were previously.

I don’t notice Tenya leaning towards me until he starts mumbling at me.

“If my brother’s sense of humour is anything to go by, I believe this is where someone should say, ‘they’re lesbians, Harold’?”

When I start laughing, it’s fairly difficult to explain why to the rest of the class, especially as they wouldn’t believe me if I told them the truth.

We carry on like this for a while, until everyone’s joined in at least once. Afterwards, people go off in different groups, most choosing to stay in the Dining Halls, while others go to their rooms or the second floor.

Although Shoto stays fairly quiet following his contribution to Truth or Dare (ignoring the amount of times he tries to quietly apologise to me and Tenya, while we say it isn’t necessary), the two of us stay with the main group, while Tenya goes to his room, citing the reason as being the urge to make something to help organise the class.

The last time we see the class together that day is at dinner, when everyone seems to reappear in the Dining Hall at relatively the same time. Tenya seems relatively pleased at everyone’s promptness, so much so that he doesn’t even mind not being the first one there (though that may be due to the fact some of us were already there).

It’s fairly uneventful, but there’s a huge difference in the atmosphere, compared to this morning. In another life with different circumstances, it seems like Class 1-A would have been the closest group in the world. But even though everyone seems happy, I can’t help but remind myself that every hour we spend getting closer is another hour we spend literally getting closer to the time limit.

By lunchtime tomorrow, it seems likely that everyone’s darkest secrets will be revealed. Even though I’m not worried about myself, I still feel for the others, who definitely haven’t forgotten our circumstances. The fact Shoto’s spent most of the afternoon directly next to me indicates that that’s certainly the case for him.

But, I won’t give up on the class! In this impossible situation, we’ve managed to make it this far. Whose to say we can’t make it further?

At least, that’s what I keep telling myself as I try to go to sleep that night.

As much as I’d like to sleep for longer, it feels like it’s over in an instant, and I’m suddenly woken up once again by Tenya’s knocking.

The walk to breakfast is fairly slow, but most of the class get there around the same time, likely because people are worried about the timer. The only people who are as late as usual are the ‘Bakusquad’ and even when they come down, there’s something unusual about them.

“Hmm? Kirishima, where’s Ashido?” Ojiro asks when the group come in.

“I don’t know. We stopped by her room just now and she wasn’t there. We assumed that she must have come down here already.” Kirishima responds, confused.

“But... If she’s not here or in her room, where could she be?” Jiro questions. Unfortunately none of us have an answer, though judging by the growing feeling in my gut, there’s one possibility none of us want to think about.

Tenya stands up quickly, seizing control. “We need to split up and find Ashido quickly. If we go through each floor, we’re sure to find her eventually. Maybe she just went to the bathroom or something?”

Most people run off to check around Ashido’s room, but before I get there, I notice something awful. Through the windows of the doors to the Main Hall, the numbers on the timer are visable.

And despite there only being about an hour until the deadline, the timer is stuck on 9 hours to go.

“Shoto, Tenya, look at that!” I call out to them, since they are the only two still in the hallway. Shoto looks through the door properly, but the paled look on both of my friends’ faces says that they’ve reached the same conclusion I have.

“We need to find Ashido, quickly.” Shoto states and we start to look around the ground floor.

It’s only a couple of minutes of us searching before we hear some sort of bells playing and a monitor near us lights up. On the screen, Nezu coughs and then smiles widely.

“Attention everyone! A body has been discovered! Everyone must head to the swimming pool now, so that an investigation can begin.” With that, the screen turns off again and we all exchange looks before running to the pool.

“What was that message?” I ask Shoto as we run. “I didn’t hear that last time.”

“That’s because you were unconscious the first time it played. Apparently once three or more people have discovered a body, a message plays so that everyone else can easily find it as well. I suppose it’s to stop the killer from being able to tamper with it too much?” Shoto explains.

By the time we get up there, the entire class is in the room. Despite them crowding around, the group is spread out enough that we can see what has happened.

Instead of a normal swimming pool, there is a pool of acid in the centre, a fact overwhelmingly highlighted by the body in the centre. And, despite it being damaged, it’s also undeniably Ashido Mina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Confidence issues, over-competitiveness, misunderstandings and a major character death.


	11. A/N: Here's what's happening (not a hiatus, just a slower publishing schedule)

I don't want to ruin this project by berating myself every time i put a chapter out late. That wouldn't be good for my self esteem and you're all gonna get bored of that really quickly.

You may know that i wrote my first Sanders Sides fanfic and, despite it being only two chapters, it took me half a week to write. So, I'm going to say what's coming up in my life that needs to take priority and then explain what's happening with this story.

1) I've got a job interview on the 4th and the last time I had one of those was two years ago, so I need to prepare for that. This links in with:  
2) To help my chances, I'd like to do an online safespace course and I'm not sure how long that will take.  
3) Late September, I am starting uni. This means finding a ton of important documents to bring, getting a student bank account and getting a student railcard.

To counter this, I do hope to do NaNoWriMo again with this project, which should help with generating chapters. That being said, if I want these chapters to be good (and I really do), there is no way I can write one every week. So, I will still be posting chapters on Monday, it will just be the first Monday after I finish a chapter rather than every Monday (unless I start writing quicker, which I seriously doubt).

I am sorry that I couldn't keep up for longer, but if I apologise for every week I miss, it will only end in me completely losing motivation. I am currently half way through Chapter 11, but in the mean time, thank you for all the support everyone's given me and thank you for understanding.


	12. Boy's Life of Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another one of their classmates is dead and a new investigation has begun. What will Class 1-A find? Will it be enough to solve the murder?
> 
> (Content warnings at the bottom of the chapter.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few weeks, but I'm back with the first half of the investigation. To anyone interested, I didn't get the job I applied for, but I've applied for a few more and hope to get a job eventually. In the meantime, I've started uni, so there still won't be a new chapter every week, but hopefully everyone enjoys the chapters as they come out!
> 
> (Also, to any Danganronpa fans, there's a fairly small reference to one of the original trials. See if you can find it!)

There are a few moments of silence, everyone too stunned to say a word.

Considering how close Tsuyu is to the pool and how close she is to falling on the ground, I’m guessing she was the one to find Ashido in the first place.

We were the last students to get to the scene, so it’s not long before the screen in the room switches on again and Nezu makes a reappearance.

“Okay, students, you know the drill. Your e-handbooks are currently being updated with information on the crime scene and your investigation starts now. Have fun, everyone!” And with that, Nezu disappears as quickly as he arrived in the first place.

Shoto is the first person to speak. “Alright, we need to stay focused. Everyone’s aware of the stakes here, so who’s going to keep watch of the crime scene this time?”

Tsuyu and Sero put their hands up.

“I’ve been swimming every day since it opened,” Tsuyu explains. “If anyone knows any more hidden areas of the room, it’s me.”

“And, I know I can’t do a lot with my abilities as a first aider, but I could attempt to do some sort of autopsy. I just need to figure out how to move the body out of danger,” Sero adds.

Everyone seems fine with these plans, so there isn’t any other reason to delay the investigation. Everyone splits into smaller groups and we begin again.

\--------------INVESTIGATION… START!!!---------------

I’m about to start investigating with Shoto when Kacchan charges towards us.

“Yeah, no. You're investigating with me today, Icy-hot.” He states, trying to stare us down.

“Why?” Shoto just asks in response.

“In case you haven’t noticed, you two were the ones dragging our asses through the last class trial, so forgive me for thinking you actually know a thing or two!”

“But why me and not-” Kacchan cuts Shoto off before he can finish.

Narrowing his eyes, Kacchan growls, “Let’s get one thing straight. Our lives may be on the line here, but that doesn’t mean I’m any more willing to work with Deku.”

Shoto still seems unsure, but the air is so tense that I have to speak up.

“It’s cool, Shoto. If we split up, we can cover more ground anyway.”

His expression relaxes at this and he only manages to nod in response before being dragged away.

“Mind if I work with you this time?” I hear a voice behind me. Turning round, I see Yaoyorozu waiting for a response.

“Of course!” I smile. “Your input was really helpful last time and we don’t mind, right Tenya?”

Tenya smiles as well, but responds, “I’m afraid it will have to just be you and Yaoyorozu for now, as there are a couple of things I would like to check while there’s time. Are you alright with that, Izuku?”

Tenya looks like he’s betraying my trust rather than asking to investigate on his own for a bit, so I have to put him out of his misery quickly.

“Of course I am! Between me and Yaoyorozu, we should manage to find some pretty good clues anyway. We’ll see you at the class trial.”

Tenya just smiles gratefully in response and walks away.

“You three sure have become close, haven’t you?” Yaoyorozu comments.

I scratch the back of my neck. “I guess so? I’ve never had friends before, so I can’t speak on their behalf, but I’m glad to have both of them. What about you? Have you made many good friends so far?” I ask.

“Kirishima has been friendly since the beginning, which I appreciate, but I suspect I’m not as close to him as this Bakusquad he helped form. Jiro's pretty cool though. Hopefully I’m able to form a proper friendship with her in the future.” 

Given Yaoyorozu's expression, I suspect her feelings for Jiro aren’t entirely platonic. But, I don’t want to embarrass her, so just respond with, “You’ll be fine. I think she feels the same way.”

Changing the subject, Yaoyorozu says, “Most of the class are looking in the pool at the moment. How about we look at the e-handbook to see if there’s anywhere else we can look first?”

“Sounds good!” I agree and we both open them.

While there’s an exclamation mark by the Investigation Details, indicating that Nezu has already included details on Ashido, there’s also one by the Rules. I click on the Investigation Details first and am greeted with an image of the crime scene and some basic details.

Name of deceased: Ashido Mina  
Date of birth: 30th July 200X  
Skill: Ultimate Scientist  
Time of death: Between 10pm and 12am  
Cause of death: Unknown  
Injuries include: Severe burns to the skin, a bruised back and potentially various internal injuries

Taking note of the points of interest (though the unknown cause of death wasn’t hugely helpful), I then move onto the next section, where a new rule was apparently added yesterday afternoon.

‘While the swimming pool is open to everyone, it is forbidden to swim in the pool at night-time. Anyone who ignores this rule will hear a warning the first time, followed by a swift expulsion any following attempts.’

“Are you thinking that this could be the result of Ashido breaking the rules?” Yaoyorozu asks.

“It’s definitely a possibility that we can’t rule out, especially if the handbook isn’t telling us how she died. But how loud is this warning supposed to be? Our rooms are soundproof, so wouldn’t there have to be someone who was outside to confirm it?” I ponder. As soon as I finish talking, I can feel the headmaster behind us.

“I can’t answer the second question, but I can definitely answer the first. The warning sound is supposed to be a warning for everyone out of bed. We don’t want people trying to hide the fact they’ve been breaking the rules. For example-“

Just then a piercing siren rings out from around the swimming pool, forcing everyone to cover their ears in an attempt to drown out the noise. From the yelling outside, I’m guessing everyone else wandering around the school can hear it as well.

Once the sound finally stops, Nezu laughs. “Now I can say I’ve done my part in making this a fair trial. Goodbye all!” And with that, he disappears.

“Alright, that’s something important we now know. Where do we go next?” Yaoyorozu asks, both of us trying to get rid of the ringing in our ears. I’m about to reply when Sero calls out.

“Could you guys do me a favour and check the First Aid Room? There should be a clue about what kind of acid we’re dealing with and there might be a way of getting rid of it.”

“Sounds good,” I respond. “We can go there next.”

I have to rely on Yaoyorozu a lot for directions, since she’s made a point to know where everything is, whereas I’ve still only seen half of the floor. But, we get there without too many issues, only to find Kirishima, Kaminari and Jiro already there.

When Kirishima sees us, he frowns. “Is everything okay? We heard a loud noise from the other side of the building.”

“Everything’s fine.” I reassure him. “Nezu demonstrated the sirens in the pool to show how loud they are. At this point, I’m relatively sure that anyone out of bed would have heard the siren, if Ashido had gone into the pool at night.”

“The e-handbook said that the murder took place between 10pm and midnight, right?” Kaminari asks, briefly looking away from the shelf he’d been investigating. “Kyoka and I were in the library for most of the night and didn’t hear anything.”

Jiro nods in agreement. “We were hoping to find some books to help us with the computer, but with how big the library is, we started searching after dinner and didn’t stop until past midnight. We didn’t find anything, but we would have heard if anything major had happened.”

“So it seems that an accident or suicide are highly unlikely. Even if they were possibilities, someone else would have to be involved for the body to end up in the pool in the first place.” Yaoyorozu thinks aloud. 

With this deduction, we decide to look around the room for anything that looks like it could have caused the change in the pool.

But, without the Ultimate First Aider or anything with any actual knowledge of corrosive substances, it’s proving to be somewhat of a challenge.

Then I spot something shiny in the bin in the corner of the room, hurriedly covered by some random napkins. On closer inspection, it seems to be shards of glass. Not really wanting to accidentally cut myself, I just shift the paper around until there’s a couple of pieces of glass visible with stickers on.

“Hey, I think I may have found what we’re looking for!” I call out to the others. The sticker that looks like it’s meant to be on the front of the bottle only has the words ‘Acid C-4’ and the corrosive symbol on it. The sticker for the back of the bottle has a lot of chemical names on it, though I don’t understand what any of the words mean.

Kirishima brings over a thick cloth, so we can pick up the pieces without accidentally getting hurt. Looking at the labels, it’s clear he’s come to the same conclusion as me.

“The bottle looks like it was completely empty when it was thrown away,” he informs the others. “And the fact that it’s broken rather than being put into the bin in one piece probably means someone was in a hurry to get rid of it. Does anyone understand what acid it is though?”

Yaoyorozu shakes her head. “We’ll probably have to show it to Sero and see what he says. Is one bottle really enough to fill the entire pool though?”

“I don’t think it was just that bottle,” Jiro calls from where she’s now rummaging through the bin.

Yaoyorozu frowns in concern. “Please be careful. I’m aware of the nature of this game, but we really don’t want people getting hurt.”

Jiro just grins in response. “Don’t worry, I’ve dealt with enough broken consoles from Denki to know how to deal with sharp objects. But seriously, this glass didn’t all come from the same bottle. I can see at least five more labels in here saying ‘Acid C-4’ on them.”

Now that there’s a layer of paper that’s been removed from the floor, this can be seen a lot easier. The whole bin seems to be filled with glass.

“This is so cool!” Kaminari says, standing next to Jiro. “It’s just like a Pokémon game.”

“You realise we’re investigating a murder, right?” Jiro asks deadpan.

While Kaminari stumbles to try and correct what he said, the rest of us look around the room for more clues. Unfortunately, the bottles seem to be the only thing that stands out, so Yaoyorozu and I decide to go back to the swimming pool to find Sero.

We’re silent for a while, but there’s a question I’ve been thinking about that needs to be asked.

“Hey... Yaoyorozu? Why did you want to investigate with me so much?”

Yaoyorozu fidgets a bit before figuring out how to answer.

“I was wondering if you’d ask that at some point. Truth be told, I thought you or Todoroki might be the best people to help with the investigation, since you two were so active in the last one. Meanwhile the only thing I contributed was something that I only knew by being in the right place at the right time. And if Kaminari and I had been too uncomfortable to talk about it, I could have ruined the entire class trial!”

Yaoyorozu is staring adamantly at the wall ahead of us by the time she’s finished her answer. “What’s the point in me being here if I can’t be as useful as possible?”

I frown. “What are you talking about? You’re one of the people who helps the most in our class. The information you gave was extremely useful in the last class trial, but if you hadn’t given it, we still might have come to the same conclusion, even if it had taken longer.”

We completely stopped walking and I continue. “It’s not just that though. You do all the cooking for us, despite the fact a lot of us probably don’t help out as much as we should. Plus, you were the one who organised all the games for the class when everyone was feeling down. How can you say you feel useless when it’s the complete opposite of the truth?”

Yaoyorozu manages a smile in response to the compliments, but I can tell she doesn’t entirely believe them just yet. “Thanks Midoriya. That means a lot. But enough about me; let’s go finish an investigation!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: discussions of a major character death, severe injuries, sharp glass and confidence issues.


End file.
